1879-S Morgan Silver Dollar

Between 1879 and 1883, the San Francisco Mint struck only dollars in the silver series due to an oversupply of lower denomination silver coins. During this time, many well-struck and high-quality coins were minted at San Francisco. The 1879-S Morgan Silver Dollar comes with two obvious differences on the reverse compared to other 1879 Morgan dollars. This is an easier coin to find and add to any Morgan Dollar collection.

History of the 1879-S Morgan Dollar

It is believed that many of the 1879-S Morgan Silver Dollars were stored in the San Francisco Mint, to be released slowly over a period of time. Like many of the silver dollars, a large amount was released around 1942 and in the 1950s. Between 1962 and 1964, many more 1879-S Morgan Dollars were paid out by the Treasury Department.

The 1879-S Morgan Dollar is typically available and easy to find. The 1879-S exists in two major reverse varieties, with the second reverse being much rarer than the third reverse. The third reverse has a slanting arrow feather, as well as a tall S over a small s. The Mint state coins usually don’t have many bagmarks, and are typically very well-struck.