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The Biography of the Morgan Silver Dollar

Article by Lorelei Lissor

The U.S. Mint's 1878-1921 Morgan dollar remains undoubtedly the most famous and collected classic silver dollar worldwide. How did this masterpiece of American minting emerge?

Interestingly, the coin sprang from a period of great financial instability in America, the Long Depression that began with the Panic of 1873 and continued until 1879, the year after the Morgan dollar's introduction. One cause of the financial catastrophe was the 1873 Coinage Act, called "the Crime of '73," which demonetized silver and temporarily ended the production of silver coins for the American economy. Combined with the failure of a major American railroad, "tight money" quickly led many overleveraged investors and companies into bankruptcy and Wall Street into chaos. When the Depression wore on and public outcries increased over joblessness, Congress finally authorized new circulating silver coinage, the largest of which was the magnificent Morgan silver dollar. As millions flowed into commerce in 1878, the Depression began to allay, partly the result of fresh hard-asset silver money in the system. Morgan dollars were packed with precious silver from the great Western mines, a vast source of national wealth. At the time, just one was the daily pay for cowboys, railroad builders and many industrial workers.

Designed by a Young Apprentice at the Philadelphia Mint

The Morgan is named after its creator, George T. Morgan. Born in England in 1845, Morgan trained at the London Mint and absorbed the finest European traditions of coin engraving. He was accepted as an apprentice at the principal Philadelphia Mint in 1877 and his superlative designs for a new U.S. silver dollar won out over the existing Chief Engraver's. The famous Philadelphia portrait painter Thomas Eakins (later to be regarded as the nation's finest artist of the period) recommended a 17-year-old schoolteacher named Anna Williams to be Morgan's model for his Liberty personification. His beautifully sculpted Liberty Head wears a tiara inscribed "LIBERTY" holding wheat of the North and cotton of the South (symbolizing the coming together of the nation after the Civil War) and a liberty cap (the traditional emblem of hard-won freedom).

For the American Eagle reverse, Morgan carefully worked from a stuffed eagle at the Philadelphia Mint and achieved superbly realistic detailing. His original design showed seven tail feathers, but the Mint Director requested another to fill out the look. However, upon the Morgan dollar's release into commerce, ornithologists objected that eagles always have center tail feathers, so Morgan reverted to his original odd-numbered tail design later in 1878. The eagle clutches arrows of preparedness and an olive branch of peaceful intent. Surrounding the eagle is a large laurel wreath, honoring the nation's greatness. The inscription "In God We Trust" (which began on U.S. coinage during the Civil War) is inscribed in Old English script.

The Ups and Downs of Morgan Dollar Mintages

As the production of the Western silver mines peaked in the 1880's, so did the output of Morgan silver dollars in that decade. When the principal silver mines were largely exhausted, the output of Morgans declined sharply in 1890-1892, then plummeted in 1893-1895 after Congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. Popular agitation for greater silver minting (climaxing with Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan's famous speech for silver at the 1896 Democratic Convention) led to increased Morgan dollar production in the late 1890's, early 1900's and through 1904, when the series was suspended by Congress. One final huge release of Morgan dollars came in 1921, before its successor the Peace silver dollar emerged later in that year.

In addition to being a lifeblood in commerce, many Morgan silver dollars were held in the U.S. Treasury as intrinsically valuable securities. However, the vast majority of those minted have been lost to history, when huge numbers were melted by the Treasury during the World Wars. Today their relative scarcity adds to their collecting appeal as a masterwork of the minting art.

About the Author

Lorelei Lissor is a Numismatist and coin expert at International Coins and Currency

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2009 Sacagawea Dollar in BU condition two (2) coin set D and P From US Mint Roll Never Circulated Agriculture Reverse Design & Edge Lettering

• 2009 BU P and D Sacagawea
• 2 Coin Set
• From U S Mint Rolls

2009 Sacagawea Dollar in BU condition two (2) coin set D and P From US Mint Roll Never Circulated Agriculture Reverse Design & Edge Lettering
From Black Hills Gold and Deadwood Gold Amazon Store.
This 2009 Native American Coin roll contains 25 coins and is wrapped with specially designed yellow and black paper. These Native American Coins are circulating quality coins minted at the United States Mint at Denver and have a "D" mint mark.
This program features designs celebrating the importan

Price: $ 9.99

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1889 Morgan Silver Dollar

George T. Morgan, coin designer

The 1889 Morgan Silver Dollar was one of many silver dollars that was designed by George T. Morgan and minted in the United States in the time span of 1878 to 1904. Morgan started his minting career as an assistant engraver and worked up to becoming a Chief Engraver. His excellent design skills kept him as Chief Engraver for eight years. Although his name is famous for many U.S. coins, he is most known for The Morgan Dollar.

Morgan Silver Dollars

Morgan Silver Dollars have become very popular with coin collectors and are still very sought after today. They are very sturdy and have help up through many years, as investments as well as collection items. Their durability is the result of the high amount of silver that goes into each coin, over 24 grams per coin. The Morgan Dollar is worth a lot more than its original value because of the high silver content. The content of the 1889 Morgan Dollar is .900 silver and .100 copper with a total weight of 26.73 grams.

The entire collection of Morgan Dollars was minted in five city mints: Carson City, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Denver and San Francisco. The mintmark can be found on the back of the coin right below the eagle\'s tail feathers. Each mintmark designated which city the dollar was minted in. For instance, "CC was for Carson City, O for New Orleans, D for Denver, etc." Although all of the Morgan Dollars have more value than their face value, the 1889 Morgan Silver Dollar has the most value and is the most sought after coin in the entire Morgan Dollar series. This is partly because of its connection to the west. Carson City had the lowest mintage so Carson City coins held the most value. The Morgan Silver Dollar is widely enjoyed and sought after because of its Western lore and explicit historical design. The silver that was used in its design was from the Comstock Lode, which reminded the people of the one of the great "silver strikes" in history.

Design of the Morgan Silver Dollar

The front of the 1889 Morgan Silver Dollar has Lady Liberty facing left. Circling around her is the date of the coin (on the bottom), the words "E Pluribus Unum" above her and the thirteen stars on both sides. The design of Lady Liberty is actually the result of sketch Morgan made of Anna Willess Williams, a Philadelphia schoolteacher. When "E Pluribus Unum" was first chosen to be used, it meant "Out of many, one". The reverse side of the 1889 Morgan Silver Dollar has a bald eagle sitting on a combination of branches and arrows with its wings spread out. A wreath surrounds part of the eagle and the words "In God we trust" are right above his head. The rim of the 1889 Morgan Silver Dollar has "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" on top and "ONE DOLLAR" on the bottom, with a star separating the two phrases. The bald eagle was not an instant hit with the public when it first came out, but they came to love this symbol.

1881 Morgan Silver Dollar Value

The Morgan silver dollar has grown to be one of the more sought-after silver coins in the history of the United States. Created by George T. Morgan in 1878, the coins were released on a regular basis until 1904. The 1881 O Morgan Silver Dollar is easily attainable in mint condition, however the gem state is rare.

The popularity of the coins has risen since the 1960s and has lead to a high demand even today. Being one of the first successful commercially used silver coins of our country's history has been a deciding factor in it surviving so long.  Excellent features such as its size, mintages and silver content are major reasons for its continued fame.

As with all Morgan silver dollars, in 1921 they made a short reappearance but were melted down due to a government mandate.

1881 Morgan Silver Dollar Design

AmazinglydesignedbyGeorgeT. Morgan, even to this day, timethecoinisanalyzedandadoredbycoinindustry professionalseverywhere. Thecoinswerebeautifully made withtheThe coins were designed with the upmost integrity, with the face of Lady Liberty on the front side and a stuffed bald eagle on the back.
Designed with the rare reflective surface called a Deep Proof Like, the 1881 Morgan silver dollar is one of the most popular coins for collectors.

1881 Morgan Silver Dollar Value

The Morgan silver dollar is still to this day one of the most popular coins in America, with an increase in value happening almost every year.
Although these five cities minted the coin, the gem condition is still pretty scarce.
The content of the coin still holds tremendous value because it is made of 90% silver and 10% copper, and this quality makes it very sought after by collectors.
There are not many coins that have withstood the years like the Morgan silver dollars.

1881 Morgan Silver Dollar Mintage

The 1881 Morgan silver dollar was minted in five major cities: Philadelphia, Carson City, San Francisco and New Orleans.

9 million of the 1881 Morgan silver dollars were minted in Philadelphia. These can be identified because they have no mint mark presented on the coin.
In Carson City alone nearly 300,000 coins were minted with the mint mark of CC hidden strategically on the coin.
Most mint marks are found on the back side by the wreath.
The O Morgan silver dollars, which were minted in New Orleans, minted over 6 million coins.
The S Morgan silver dollars, which were minted in San Francisco, produced more than 13 million coins.
Both were prime reasons for the coin's popularity and pending survival for over 100 years.
Mint production of the Morgan silver dollars were suspended between 1905-1920 due to a lack of silver bullion supply, which caused the eventual end of its production as a whole in 1921.

October 3rd 2010, Nuggetnoggin and his Grandpa went metal detecting at an old homestead from the 1800's. After a few hours of detecting Michael was lucky enough to find his first Barber Half Dollar in a farm field beside the old house. This was a very trashy hunt but Nugget dug every pull-tab signal he got and found some great relics. Check out the video to see what he found! Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
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1987 American Eagle Silver Dollar

• Choice BU Hand Selected Single
• Each struck from .999 Pure Silver
• Makes great gift

This Uncirculated American Eagle Silver Dollar was hand selected from an original roll and placed in a protective holder using cotton gloves. These coins, which contain one ounce of .999 pure silver make great gifts, prizes, collectibles and investments!

Price: $ 36.99

1921 Morgan Silver Dollar

• Named after its designer, George T. Morgan, this silver dollar is noteworthy and highly collectible because it is the last in U.S. Mint's series of "cartwheel" silver coins. The Morgan silver dollar was minted between 1878 and 1904, and again, for a final year in 1921. Al of the coins have been dubbed cartwheels because Lady Liberty, whose profile appears on the coin's obverse (front) is surrounded by a ring -or cartwheel - of stars. George

1921 Morgan Dollar. Philadelphia Mint. Last issue of this design.

Price: $ 29.95

The CC Silver Dollar: What You Should Know

The CC Silver Dollar has a unique spot in history. Although every collectible coin has a unique and valuable story, the story of the CC dollar is among those that stand out. This is one coin that no collector should miss out on.

CC Coins

CC actually stands for Carson City. This is where the story of the CC silver coins began. It was in 1859 when a huge source of silver was discovered in Carson City. It was partly because of this silver source and lobbying that a mint branch was established in Carson City. Like every other mint office, the one in Carson also affixed its letter sign on the minted dollar. For Carson Cit y it was the double C.

Value of CC

A CC Silver Dollar is actually a Morgan Dollar. Like other Morgan Dollars, this one has the face of Liberty and an eagle on the reverse. What makes it unique from other silver dollars however is the double C mint mark on the reverse. It is the only American silver coin with a double letter mint mark. This unique feature is one of the main reasons why The Carson City dollar is considered valuable.

One other factor that makes it valuable is its mintage. There were some years when the Carson silver coin was minted in the millions. There were also some years though with only a few hundred thousands. It is estimated that CC silver coins do not even account for one percent of the total amount of silver dollars ever minted. The comparative rarity of a CC Silver Dollar is more than enough to make it more expensive than some other Morgan types. The 1885 Morgan CC is among the most prized because very few were minted in this year.

The quantity of Carson City Silver Dollars dropped even more during the war. Many gold coins of various types were melted at this time. There was a significant shortage of silver at this time. The Carson City silver coins that have survived to this day come from government vaults. These have been sold to the public.

Tips

A CC Silver Dollar can also have a fake counterpart. You should therefore take great care when considering a CC purchase. A CC coins should be carefully assessed like any other collectible coin. It would help if you took the time to find out the distinguishing features of a Morgan CC silver coin.

Even if you do know your coin, there is still a chance that you could get swindled. You can prevent this from happening from buying only from a reputable source. There are many online stores that specialize only in selling collectible coins like the CC dollar. Be extra careful if you plan to buy from an online auction. Check a seller's reputation meticulously.

You should also consider coin condition. A rare CC coin could cost more than a thousand dollars. A highly defaced and worn coin however would hardly merit such a price.

A CC Silver Dollar is a unique and beautiful collector's piece. If you aren't careful though, you could end up with a fake.

The History of the Barber Half Dollar. Learn about how this US Coin has transformed over the years and ways you can collect coins by visiting USACoinShop.com
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The History of Silver Dollar Values

Silver dollars, which are the first dollar coin issue, were minted since 1794. The United States of America have been minting dollar coins in gold, silver, and base metal varieties. A silver dollar values at one dollar.

The term silver dollar can be misleading. While the metal silver is used, the whole term actually generally refers to any large white metal coin, with a face value of one dollar, issued by the United States of America. Several purists have expressed their concern about and protest against the term, insisting that a dollar should not be called silver unless it really contains some, if not all, of the metal in question. Still, the term silver dollar lives on to pertain to coins with one-dollar values.

Beginning the twentieth century, dollar coins or silver dollars have found a significant decrease in popular acceptance in circulation in the United States of America. Since 1971, there have been many attempts to revive the silver dollars place as legal tender, with suggestions to phase in a coin to replace the one dollar bill, but all have proved futile. Other developed countries, on the other hand, still have denominations of like value exist only in coin. For example, there are the British 50 pence coin, the Canadian loonie and toonie, the 1 and 2 Australian dollar coins, the 50 New Taiwan dollar coin, the 1 and 2 Euro coins, and the 100 and 500 Japanese yen coin, to name a few; the silver dollar values still exist in these countries.

Before dollar coins or silver dollars were born, paper currency was first tried out by a then fledgling United States. However, this form of money did not last long and in 1776, the Continental Congress approved and carried out plans for the production of silver coins to replace the quickly failing Continental, which is what the fledgling country called its paper currency. Unfortunately, silver coins were never actually produced at the time, owing to the Revolutionary War which was taking place. Thomas Jefferson, influenced by the failure of the Continental and the overall distrust in paper currency that was widespread during the period, wrote letters indicating his desire for the United States to mint coins that have similar value with and worth to contemporary foreign coins. Indeed, such is the clamor for coins and silver dollar values.

The United States Mint, officially authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792 to produce dollar coins from silver, produced silver dollar coins from the year 1794 continuously until 1803, when the robust silver dollar production were stopped until 1836. Mint Director David Rittenhouse, distributed the first silver dollars, which were 1,758 all in all, as souvenirs to the dignitaries at that time. Today, coin collectors from around the world highly prized original silver dollars made during the said period, including the Flowing Hair (1794-1795) and the Draped Bust (1795-1804), of which there are two varieties, namely the small eagle (1795-1798) and the heraldic eagle (1798-1804). Some of these silver dollar values are extremely rare and exceptionally valuable, especially because they are the earliest examples of massively circulated coins ever struck by the United States Mint, thus bearing an incomparable mystique for serious coin collectors worldwide.

Early Type Barber Half Dollar 1892-1899 G-VG

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