The Morgan coin is the highest collected coin in the United States of America. It was made from 1878 to 1921 when silver was again acceptable to be used in U.S currency and also because a large silver discovery was made in Nevada. These coins were made is such large numbers initially that in 1904 the waste silver discovery was almost depleted. The Morgan coin is the heaviest coin created since the Civil War and weighs in at almost 0.78 ounces.  In 1918, due to the pitman act, almost 270 million of these silver dollar coins were melted and in 1921 was re-minted for one last time.

Like everything old the Morgan coin is an antique and a collectable item. It is very hard to put a price on exactly how much it is worth because since these coins are still in circulation they tend to have a lot of wear and tear; which in turn drives the price down. However this also makes it cheap for and every day average Joe to a chance to collect a part of history. Just to give you the wide range the prices currently are for these coins we look at a 1893 Morgan coin made in San Francisco (1893-S); the price for a mint, never been in circulation coin is about seventy five thousand dollars, the latest one being sold for about a hundred and twenty thousand at a private auction, compared to thirty three hundred dollars for one that has been used and in circulation.

In February of 1878 in accordance with the Bland-Allison Act the President of America’s veto was over written by congress. This override made is compulsory for the national treasury to purchase and acquire between two and four million dollars’ worth of silver per month. This silver was in turn to be turned into silver dollars at those times gold to silver ration or 1:16, which means that every one ounce of gold equals sixteen ounces of silver. In 1876 the Director of the U.S mint, Henry Richard Linderman, was given the cumbersome responsibility for redesigning the silver dollar. For this task the troubled director contacted the Deputy Master of the Royal Mint, C.W. Fremantle, and asked him to find him someone to take the position of Assistant Engraver. In response the Deputy Master recommended George Morgan as a first class die-sinker for the position. In October 1877 George Morgan was instructed to start working on the task he was brought in for, he not only completed it in a few months but did it so well that Director of the U.S mint called it the Morgan Dollar Coin.

The Morgan silver dollar today has evolved into one of the very famous, highly desired and most collected coin in all of US coins and in the numismatic world. And the popularity only seems to be growing.

Originally, the coin was reintroduced after the last one had been phased out, to take the advantage of the silver strike in Nevada at Comstock Lode. Without the introduction and the passing of the Bland- Allison Act which authorized the coins, the Nevada economy was going to crumble for despite the silver strike, there was not enough demand for the metal for the economy to grow on. The coins were minted without interruption from 1878- 1904 completing its 25 years in minting. The coins being minted weighed 0.77344 and were 38.1 mm with a reeded edge. It was the largest and the heaviest coin that was produced in the US since the Civil War. Over 500 million coins were minted during this period but due to the unpopularity they faced at the time amongst the public, many of them remained to sit in piles in the vaults of the US Treasury. In 1918, the Pittman Act allowed for the melting of over 270 million coins to provide for silver during the war. In 1921, there was one last minting of the coin when around 25 million coins were issued. Most of the minting for the Morgan dollar took place in Philadelphia while there was also some in San Francisco and New Orleans. There was also a mint in Nevada that minted the Morgan silver dollar coin at Carson City but the mint soon shut.

Creating the design for the dollar was the pinnacle of the British engraver, George T. Morgan’s career. He designed the portrait of Lady Liberty’s head from the left side meant to appear on the obverse of the coin while the reverse features the depiction of a bald eagle sitting on a branch with outstretched wings. The date of issue and thirteen stars along with the phrase ‘E Pluribus Unum’ circle the head of Lady Liberty while above the head of the bird on the reverse, it says ‘In God we Trust’. Around the reeded rim are the words United States of America and one dollar separated on either side by a star. If the coin was not issued at the mint in Philadelphia, a mint mark appears below the centre of the wreath on the reverse.

Over the years, the morgan silver dollar coin has been examined and collected popularly and many more discoveries about the design such as seven and eight tail feathers have been discovered adding to the entertainment and joy provided by studying the Morgan dollar coin. Hoards of the Morgan dollar have been found since their minting stopped including 3 million uncirculated dollars that were discovered in the 1960s and the Redfield collection of around 400, 000 coins which was auctioned off for over $7.3 million. There were also sales that were conducted by the General Services Administration.

The popularity of the Morgan silver dollar thus in the last few decades has continued to grow and rise, with the coin reaching astronomical prices and desirability. They have escalated process for their silver content and their historical significance and rarity driving their desire.

Morgan silver dollars today have to come to earn a reputation as a valuable and rewarding investment. They are rare and desired, they are expensive and beautiful. However, before getting into the buying process/ collecting process of these some very precious coins, one must research and understand them properly so that not only you can profit and not incur a loss but also so you know what you need and aren’t spoofed.

Generally, the very first thing about Morgan silver dollars that you may want to keep in mind is that specimens grading below AU- 50 are known for being worth of only their silver bullion value. There may be a few exceptions to this rule of thumb, especially the Morgan silver dollar coins that were minted at Carson City but it is true that most Morgan dollar coins that are circulating in the market today were never circulated as regular coinage. The reason for this is that when the Morgan dollars were introduced through the Bland- Allison Act that was passed in the Congress, a part of the Act required the Treasury to buy silver of worth $2- 4 million every month that was to be minted into dollar coins. As a result, there were stock piles of the coins lying in the Treasury vaults since there were many more coins than what were needed for circulation available. As a matter of fact, more than half a billion Morgan coins that had been minted in the US between the years 1878- 1904 did not leave the vaults till 1960. A large amount of these were also melted but despite this, the Morgan coin’s demand never exceeded the supply while in use. However, what one should keep in mind when dealing with Morgan dollar coins is to be aware of the uncirculated grades. You should also make an attempt to learn the true values of the Morgan dollar coins before investing in one for dealers in the market may want you to believe in an exaggerated value of a coin that may be only worth $50.

Also, it should be noted that since the Morgan silver dollar series exists in higher grades than others, one should look to invest only in specimens that are of the highest grade. Also proof Morgan dollar coins have managed to perform very well over the last two decades so investing in them would be a good idea. Then there are the MS- 65 investments if not better. Their rarity and desirability make them into a very solid investment. It should also be remembered that giving consideration to the source of the grade is highly essential. Price variation is important and not every dealer or grading services operate with the same standards.

Once bought, you should also try and ensure that your Morgan silver dollar coins are with you not resting on dealer assurances. Keep them in your own personal box or safety deposit box, not depending on dealers or other sources. Your Morgan silver dollars can prove to be your future so be very vigilant and careful when it comes to them!

The Morgan dollars are the silver dollar coins minted by the US Treasury Mints in Philadelphia, San Francisco, New Orleans and Carson City during 1878- 1921 following the passing of the Bland- Allison Act in the Congress. The Act required the Treasury to purchase silver worth 2- 4 million dollars every month so it could be coined into Morgan dollar. Even though during its usage, the coin remained unpopular of sorts with mounds of it being stored in the Treasury amounting to the dislike the public held towards the dollar, it gained significance and importance during the 1960s and by the 1980s, it was seen as a collectible item of immense value. The coin depicts the left side portrait of Lady Liberty on the obverse and on the reverse depicts an eagle with outstretched wings. The diameter of the coin is 38.1 millimetres, it weighs 26.73 grans and its composition is 0.900 silver and 0.100 copper. The edges are reeded and the net weight is 0.77344 ounce pure silver.

The pattern depicted on the Morgan dollar coin was designed by the British engraver, George T. Morgan (after which the coin got its name) and work on the design began around 4 months prior to the passing of the Bland- Allison Act in the Congress. In 1876, Henry Richard Linderman who was the Director of the Mint initiated the efforts to redesign the silver coins in use in the US. As a part of his efforts, Linderman who was not very happy with his engravers contacted the Royal Mint in London. He asked C.W. Fremantle who was the Deputy Master at the Royal Mint to provide him with a “find a first class die-sinker who would be willing to take the position of Assistant Engraver at the Mint at Philadelphia”. Responding to the request made by Linderman, Fremantle recommended George Morgan who was of 30 at the time and had been able to successfully make himself a considerable and recognised name and reputation as an Assistant Engraver. Morgan then was recruited on to the Philadelphia Mint and was to work under the Chief Engraver at the Mint, William Arber, initially on a trial basis.

Morgan came to Philadelphia in October 1876 and began designing. His earlier work was all directed towards the redesigning of the half dollar. Then he enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts to help him create a new design for Lady Liberty’s head. During his time here, Morgan also obtained studies form nature of the bald eagle which effectively helped him design the reverse of the coin. For the portrait of Liberty that he was to create, Morgan chose to imitate an American woman rather than the Greek style figures that were previously used and thus Anna Willess Williams, a lady from Philadelphia was used as a model. Morgan called Ms Williams profile the most perfect he had seen and had a number of sittings with her leading up to the designing.

In October 1877, Morgan was instructed to use his designs for the half dollar for a silver dollar coin, replacing the numbers and words for half dollar with one dollar. Other designs, inscriptions and arrangements were to remain the same. There were also instructions sent out to create and design the reverse that depicts an image of an eagle along with the inscriptions that are required to be engraved on the coin by law. Morgan’s designs for both, the portrait of Lady Liberty and the eagle for the reverse were preferred and thus came into being engraved on the silver dollar coin of the US.

As the Morgan dollar only seems to be increasing in popularity, value and demand, there are coin collectors and enthusiasts out there eagerly working to acquire the 1878 minted Morgan dollar coin. The silver composition, the high cost, the scarcity of most variations and the very pleasing and interesting aesthetics tend to be the primary reason that have earned the Morgan dollar a high reputation in the world of numismatics.

The coin is able to get stirring interest amongst many and thus if you are interested in coin collections, are an enthusiast, even if you are looking just to make an investment or if you have any interest in the world of numismatics, you should make yourselves comfortable with the Morgan dollar and know exactly what you are looking at before even thinking of making a purchase.

Morgan coins are very popular coins. One reason is their composition which is 90% silver and only 10% copper. This is why coins made of 20% silver are usually only worth their silver bullion value. Also, coins that were minted at Carson City are rare because of their relatively very low mintage and thus are extremely valuable and carry high worth. To check for the location of the mint of your coin, check on the reverse of the coin, under the wreath, right above the D and the O of the dollar. CC will indicate Carson City while D will indicate Denver, O will stand for New Orleans and S for San Francisco. No mint mark here means the coin was minted at the Philadelphia mint.

Of the 500 million Morgan dollars minted during 1878- 1904, 75% were melted due to wartime need for silver. There were further 45 million minted in 1921. However during the time in use, there were stock piles of the coins sitting in the vaults of the Treasury meaning they were never circulated and thus it is wise to look out for uncirculated coins that may come your way.
You should also be very cautious when it comes to the dealer you are dealing with. There are dealers who will give you false details or will try and convince you of a coin being of a value much higher and exaggerated than it really is. In its mint condition the Morgan dollar is very scarce but very popular and desirable so there may be various dealers out there who are eyeing your pocket over giving you and honest score on the coin.

Coins also vary in grades given to them by numismatics depending on their condition. A perfect score or the highest grading is given to Morgan dollars that have absolutely no blemishes, no scratches, no hits or no marks. However, a low grade coin is worth a lot less and is one in a worn out condition or even weak striking/ defects. Dishonesty may lead you to buy a coin ten times its worth and value.

You can also think of investing in the ‘Red book’ for information and guided research on coin collecting.
Lastly, once you have made the purchase of the Morgan, be sure that you keep it with yourself, in your own vault or your own safety deposit box. Do not trust dealers or other people who provide you with assurance of safekeeping. It is your property now and it is already of high value, with the value only increasing with time.

The Morgan dollar while in circulation met a tone of nothing beyond indifference and ignorance but over the course of time has become one of the most desired and popular dollar coins.

When the dollar coin in existence was legislated out of use in 1873, no one seemed to miss it. However, with the passing of the Bland- Allison Act in the Congress, the dollar coin returned and the public did not seem to be welcoming its return.

The stimulus and drive to reintroduce the dollar coin was driven from the fact that the richest silver strike in the US (Comstock Lode, Northern Nevada) needed a market and the US Federal Government remained an obvious customer. This river itself needed a market to survive and not cause the economy of Nevada to collapse. Thus with the lobbyists were able to very successfully able to guide the new silver dollar into returning and so the Bland- Allison Act was passed in Congress in1878. As a term of this Act, the US Treasury was required to purchase silver of worth $2- 4 million every month which could be minted into dollar coins.

The new coin which was to be introduced was designed by George T. Morgan, a British engraver who was sent to the US from the Royal Mint in London upon the need the director of the Philadelphia Mint, Henry R. Linderman. George T. Morgan arrived in the US in 1876 to serve as a special engraver and worked at the Mint. While usually, the task of designing the pattern for the coin would be left to the Chief Engraver at the Mint, William Barber, this project was turned into a competition with Linderman offering to choose the best design. Morgan’s design was chosen as the final design which was to appear on the silver coins. Morgan’s design depicted a portrait image of Lady Liberty from the left side on the obverse while on the reverse portrayed an underfed eagle with outstretched wings. The Morgan dollar remained to be the only coin George T. Morgan ever designed, but it made him thoroughly popular for the dollar coin’s name became Morgana and the coins were known as Morgan dollars.

The first of the Morgan dollar coins were struck on the 11th of March, 1878, 3 17 pm, less than two weeks after the Act had been passed and the coin authorized in the Congress. It was at Press # 4 at the Philadelphia mint and currently this coin is displayed at the Hayes Library and Museum in Ohio. Along with Philadelphia which remained to be the main mint to coin the Morgan dollars, they were also coined at New Orleans, San Francisco and on a very small scale at Carson City. The Carson City mint however did not survive for long and after the silver mine at Comstock Lode played out, the mint was closed down in 1893, never to start again. Morgan dollars that had been minted at Carson City are of extremely high value today owing to their rarity and collectability.

The Morgan dollars have gained a reputation for themselves many decades after their minting and circulation stopped. The last of the magnificent, beautiful and inspirational of the Morgan dollars to be minted remains the 1921 Morgan.

Today, the Morgan dollars are desired and prized by collectors and enthusiasts. But this always was not the case, especially during the time period when they were being minted, circulated and used. The public met the Morgan dollar coins with a tone of indifference and ignorance and it was several decades after their minting as stopped, the Morgan dollars replaced and some of them resurfaced that they gained a reputation, were seen as rare, beautiful and inspirational and became coins that were enjoyable and entertaining to collectors.

After the Liberty Seated dollar coin was discontinued in 1873, the silver mining industry was suffering from under consumption and especially after the silver strike at Comstock Lode in Nevada, there were many lobbying the government to begin producing silver dollar coins again. And thus, the Bland- Allison Act of 1878 was passed in Congress and this paved the way for the silver coins to be minted again and the Treasury to buy millions of worth of silver from the strike each month.

The coin was designed by George T. Morgan and during the circulation and usage period remained unpopular. It was considered as being too heavy and also unattractive. The coin depicted a left side portrait of Madam Liberty on the front facing side of the coin and a bald eagle with 3 arrows and an olive branch on the reverse. The eagle was considered scrawny at the time of minting and use while the dollar was very commonly being known as the buzzard dollar since the eagle image resembled one.

The Morgan coins however managed to survive their unpopularity and were present as the US went through exciting and rapid changes such as the Old West and James and the Gang as well as the age of automobiles. Then there was also the Pittman Act passed in 1918 which called for over 270 million Morgan coins to be melted to meet demands of silver during the World War I. The silver was then sold to Britain, engaged heavily in the War at a rate of $1.0 per ounce.

There was a reminting of the Morgan dollar coins in 1921 when the Philadelphia, San Francisco and the Denver mint produced some 45 million Morgan coins. The 1921 Morgan was the only Morgan series coin to be minted at Denver. During the first minting phase, the locations of the mints coining the Morgan dollars were Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco and Carson City.

The Morgan dollars over time and through the course of history have become extremely popular and now are far from being scorned or ridiculed as they were when introduced or when in use. Morgan coins survived changes, survived ignorance, and survived adversity of all forms and have become arguably the most desired and popular of the coins ever minted in the US.

Why is the Morgan dollar regarded as arguably the most beautiful and most inspirational of the dollar coins that have been minted in the US. There are various reasons including the history, the rarity and the design. This article will go on to focus on the design of the Morgan dollar coin and its designer, George T. Morgan, the man from who the coin gets its name.

The Morgan coin was authorized by the passing of the Bland- Allison Act in the Congress. Pending the passing of the Act, the Philadelphia Mint Director called upon the Royal Mint in London to provide them with an engraver and thus George Morgan was sent to the US.

His design for the dollar coin was chosen amongst others. This would also remain to be the only coin he designed.

His design depicted the portrait image from the left of Madam Liberty on the forward-facing side of the coin, while the reverse was designed to depict the image of a bald eagle sitting on a branch with its wings outstretched.

Morgan chose to use the American motto ‘E Pluribus Unum’ which stems from the American Revolution or the American War of Independence.

The motto means ‘Out of many comes the One’ and comes from the Great Seal which was initially designed by the Great Seal Committee of 1776. Amongst the committee were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson who proposed the motto and was meant to signify the uniting of various colonies to form America.

Madam Liberty meanwhile is meant to represent freedom. Her locks and band of liberty are both excellently crafted into the design making the left side portrait of her face look beautiful and inspirational. Also, choosing a woman again was great and encouraging.

Then on the obverse appears the date making the forward facing side of the coin complete and appealing.

The reverse of the coin meanwhile states the face value of the coin- one dollar and the name of the country, United States of America around the edge, both words separated by two stars on either side.

It also depicts along with this the Great Bald Eagle which has come to become the national emblem of the US.

The eagle is clutching three arrows in its talons along with an olive branch- the international symbol for peace, with its wings outstretched.

The eagle was first adopted in the national seal as a bird that is majestic and also represents pure freedom and no fear.

Above the eagle’s head, on the reverse of the coin, are the words ‘In God We Trust’, which again has been a national motto since the first US coin was minted. ‘In God We Trust’ is derived from the national anthem of the US which uses ‘In God is Our Trust’.

A key date is term which is used in coin collecting and in the numismatic world and it refers to a particular date or a specific date and mint combination in a series of coins that were minted during a particular period in a particular country which have over the years become very hard to obtain and thus hold immense value. The key date is used for a coin that is rare and highly desirable raising its value generally.

While the Morgan dollars have over the years become immensely popular and the series has itself become interesting and entertaining to collect, the Morgan silver dollar key dates are amongst the rarest and amongst the most sought of coins amongst US minted coins. They are popular not only because of their composition which comprises of 90% silver and only 10% copper but also because of their rarity outside. This is because many of the Morgan coins never circulated rendering them as uncirculated Morgan dollar coins while many coins were also melted during World War I to meet demands for silver. This makes the Morgan dollar coin extremely hard to find and very rare to come across. Amongst the series, the rarest are the CC minted Morgan coins, which were minted at Carson City for a short period of time making the number of coins issued relatively less thus making the coins rare and precious. More generally speaking, key dates are very highly collectible and manage to not only maintain but also very significantly raise their values over the years.

Amongst all the Morgan coins, the most desirable remains to be the 1895 (Philadelphia) proofs. According to records, there were around 12000 coins that were struck in 1895 at the Philadelphia mint but there remain in existence no samples or examples of this coin. But there are 880 proofs of the Morgan dollar at the Philadelphia mint. However, of these 880, only around 75- 80 have been accounted for to date.

More general key dates for the Morgan dollar are: 1883-S (uncirculated grades are scarce), 1884-S (uncirculated grades are scarce), 1892-S (uncirculated grades are scarce), 1893-S, 1894-P, 1895-P, 1895-O, 1895-S, 1896-S, 1899-P, 1901-P (uncirculated grades are scarce) 1903-O, 1903-S and the 1904-S.

The Morgan dollar was minted as the silver dollar coin in the US between 1878- 1921 and even though during it issuance form the treasury remained just another dollar for most of the American people, it was after the Morgan pattern was replaced by the Peace design on the silver dollar coins and decades later when the Morgan dollars stashed away resurfaced that they were seen and searched for with passion and excitement. The Morgan dollars was perhaps one of the very few dollar coins that were met with unimportance and insignificance while in use but once its minting was halted, the coins appeared to be of much more value and were met with a lot more importance.

Amongst the family of the Morgan dollars, the 1985 Morgan dollar I widely known as the ‘King’ of them because of the rarity and the value that it carries, both which are much higher than other dollar coins within the Morgan family. PF- 68 samplings of this Morgan dollar coin have been sold through auctions at values higher than $120, 000.

According to records in the US Mint, there were around 12, 000 of the 1985 Morgan dollar coins that were being circulated after having been struck for 1985. However, only around 80 of these coins have resurfaced while the others are unaccounted for. Scholars in their opinion on where the missing coins have gone remain divided. Theories range from coins not having been minted in the first place to being melted down later to being lost in a shipwreck at sea.

The Morgan dollar was created with the passing of the Bland- Allison bill in the Congress and even though the coin itself depicts Lady Liberty, it is called the Morgan dollar behind its British designer, George T. Morgan. The coin was unpopular because of the politics behind the bill (interests of silver miners instead of public demand highlighted) and was also known as the ‘Buzzard’ dollar because of the scrawny appearance of the eagle on the reverse of the coin.

More than half a billion Morgan dollars were issued during the minting time due to the Bland- Allison Act that required the Treasury to buy $2- 4 million worth of silver to be coined each month.

When it first began to be used, the Morgan was quite unpopular with the eagle being scrutinized, the coin being called a cartwheel and the buzzard dollar. Thus, there was a large amount of coins that sat in the Treasury. There also followed melting of the coins as well as numerous that remained unaccounted for.

The Morgan gained popularity during the 1960s when the Treasury began giving out Morgan dollars dating up to 80 years back for silver certificates. This increased the popularity due to collector’s value of an old coin as well as for certificate redemption purposes. This then followed the Treasury auctioning most of the remaining 2.9 million Morgan coins (most of them minted in Carson City) and by 1980 the public was extremely interested and the Morgan dollars became a collectible series.

The 1895 Morgan coin soon came to be known as the Holy Grail. It has no specimens known to exist and no business strike example of the 1895 coin has ever been discovered. If one is, it is bound to be one of the most spectacular finds in numismatics in America.