Minted from 1878 to 1904, and again resuming in 1921, the Morgan Silver Dollar is widely recognized as one of the most beautifully designed coins in the world. The brief hiatus from 1904 - 1921 was due to a depletion of silver reserves, but in 1918 after World War I, the Pittman Act was passed which allowed for the melting of Morgan Silver Dollars and continuation of the Morgan Silver Dollars in 1921 for one last year. The Peace Dollar would soon replace the Morgan Silver Dollar shortly thereafter. Prior to the Morgan Silver Dollar was the Seated Liberty Dollar.
The Morgan Silver Dollar was designed by George T. Morgan who originally was an assistant engraver at the U.S. Mint and later became the Chief Engraver. The reverse of the Morgan Silver Dollar depicts a majestic American Bald Eagle with 7 tail feathers that is holding arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other. The obverse design is of Lady Liberty with 13 stars surrounding her image, which represent the original 13 colonies. Funny enough, the original model for the obverse design of Lady Liberty was a school teacher named Anna Williams. Morgan Silver Dollars were and still are beloved by investors and collectors alike.
This coin is a first year of issue in the set which means it is especially sought after. A true masterpiece, the Carson City Mint only produced these coins between 1878 and 1885, temporarily ceasing production only to pick back up in 1889 until 1893. Many Carson City bags filled with coins were later discovered in treasury vaults. These coins were essentially forgotten about until they were rediscovered. Attempting to quickly distribute this significant piece of history, President Nixon signed a law in 1970 that authorized the sale of these coins through the General Service Admission to dealers and collectors over the course of a decade. In this rush, many mistakes were made during the distribution of the inventory, some coins even included the special and unique GSA holder.
The Morgan Silver Dollar was minted at five different mints over its almost fifty year span. Specifically, the Morgan Silver Dollars were struck at Philadelphia (P) San Francisco (S), New Orleans (O), Carson City (CC), and Denver (D). The Denver Morgan Dollar was a special issue because it was only minted in the year 1921.
Each Morgan Silver Dollar carries a $1 face value and is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper. In total each Morgan Silver Dollar has .7734 troy ounces of silver content. The weight of each coin is 26.73 grams and each Morgan Dollar has a diameter of 38.1 mm. The mintage of the 1878 Carson City Morgan Dollar was only 2,212,000, making it much more rare than the Philadelphia version which was 10,500,000 and the San Francisco which was 9,774,000.
Each one of these 1878 Carson City Morgan Silver Dollars will be in stunning brilliant uncirculated condition. This is an amazing feat considering the coin is 142 years old! Leave it to the United States to produce such a stunning piece that would stand the test of time. If you wish to add one of these stunning coins to your collection, please feel free to reach out to Bullion Shark. You can purchase this coin on our website or over the phone (516-739-5822) with one of our numismatic experts. With your purchase you will enjoy free shipping and handling as well. Save a bundle in comparison to a MS65 specimen that is worth approximately $1,800!
Product Specifications
Coin Type: Morgan Silver Dollar
Date: 1878
Mint: Carson City
Purity: 90%
Precious Metal Content: .7734 oz pure silver
