Silver Dollar Coins - Prized Collectibles
December 14, 2008
Lots of folks enjoy accumulating and exchanging silver dollar coins as a pastime. Now is it less common to see these silver coins at all so it is a thrill to come across one. Unfortunately, not everyone recognizes rarity and seeing only the denomination of these coins will have no problem spending them like any other cash.
In the late 19th century, a silver dollar known as the Morgan dollar was put into use. This characterizes of an eagle on one side and the face of Miss Liberty on the other side. Due to the weedy looks of the eagle in the coin, it is sometimes referred to as the "buzzard dollar". The production of Morgan dollar coins stopped in 1921, but even now they are worth collecting.
Some people like to trade their coins for others. Hobbyists like themselves may own a certain coin that is needed to fit a specific collection, so they will turn to these fellow coin collectors and offer one of their own unique coins. To trade dollar coins, you will have to have a fairly rare coin yourself. Most coin collectors have many dollar coins and will trade a coin they have a duplicate of, so as not to lose the coin for their collection.
Silver Dollar – A Jewel Among Coins
December 9, 2008
It wasn’t long ago when a silver dollar in your change meant that you’d remove it from your pocket and squirrel it away among your treasures. It’s easy to see why -- silver dollars stand out from ordinary coins that we receive every day in our change. They’re heavier because of their size and silver content and the designs that adorn them are works of art.
Rich in American history and beautiful to behold, silver dollars have long been prized as highly collectible by coin collectors and history buffs alike. Perhaps no other coin is so prized among collectors as the Morgan silver dollar. Designed by George T. Morgan, the Morgan silver dollar is mired in conspiracy.
Morgan became the designer of the coin because of a contest held by Henry P. Linderman, director of the Philadelphia mint. It was later revealed that the contest was staged because Linderman was unhappy with the designs for the dollar by the Chief Engraver. By staging the contest, Linderman was able to help design the dollar himself. The bald eagle and the head of Liberty was actually Linderman’s idea – designed by Morgan.
Know the Grading System for Morgan Dollars
December 4, 2008
The grading system for silver dollars helps you find the Morgan dollar to complete or begin your collection. All coin collectors and dealers use a standardized system to grade Morgan silver dollars.
When minting was low the Morgan dollar is valued highly, but other factors – like its condition – also determine what you’ll pay. Key date coins are especially difficult to find because only a few were minted during a certain time or because there may have been an error during production.
Coins may be graded by numbers, such as 1 through 70, 70 being the best condition possible for a coin and 1 being a damaged coin.
Look at photos of the coin if you’re thinking of buying online. Also take into consideration its rating. But beware that a seller may grade a coin too high because they’re inexperienced or want a higher price for the coin.
A Morgan dollar may be graded low because of the following conditions:
What Makes a Morgan Dollar Rare?
November 18, 2008
Silver contained in a Morgan silver dollar may only be worth a few dollars, but the rarity of the coin and date of its mintage or appearance may make the coin worth several thousand dollars.
Some Morgan dollars are graded DMPL (Deep Mirror Proof Like), designating that their legends and devices appear frosted (or mirrored). The level of a coin’s DMPL is rated from light to dark and are worth much more than their non-reflective counterparts.
Some Morgan silver dollars are more rare and valuable than others because there were very few minted. The 1889 Morgan CC (Carson City) is one of the rarest, with only 350,000 minted. 100,000 1893 Morgan Ss were minted in San Francisco -- and the rarest is the 1895 P (Proof) Morgan worth around $65,000.
Morgan silver dollars are also classified by varieties (VAMs) of dies used in minting them. VAM stands for the research of Van Allen and Mallis who researched Morgans minted from 1878 to 1904, 1921 and those minted from 1921 to 1935. They discovered about 6,000 VAMs.
Tips for Buying Carson City Morgan Dollars
November 5, 2008
The historical and romantic Carson City Morgan silver dollar is also lovely to look at and a pleasure to hold. If you’re searching for one of these unique coins for your collection – or simply because you love it – there are some facts you should know to avoid falling victim to a fake.
Carson City, Nevada – a true Wild West town -- utilized the silver strike of 1859 to mint CC Morgan dollars. Like other Morgan dollars, the CC Morgans display the face of Liberty on the front and an eagle on its reverse side. Also on the reverse side is the double C (Carson City) mark which sets it apart from other Morgan dollars.
Be sure to consider the following tips before you purchase a CC Morgan silver dollar:
The “Seven Over Eight” Morgan Dollar - A Valuable Find With An Interesting History
October 21, 2008
Birthed in Conspiracy
The Morgan dollar was designed by George T. Morgan from England. Morgan won a staged
contest held by the director of the Philadelphia mint, Henry P. Linderman, for the design of
the coin. Linderman was not happy with the designs of the Chief Engraver at the time, so
the staged contest allowed him to use Morgan and have more input into the design of the
coin. The coin's design had the head of Liberty on the face, which was Linderman's
suggestion, with a rather scrawny-looking bald eagle on the coins obverse (tails) side.
Attention to Detail
It's unclear whether the fault lies with Morgan's design or with the maker of the die
used to strike the coin, but production began in 1878 with the bald eagle having eight tail
feathers. Someone informed the mint that a bald eagle actually has seven tail
feathers, not eight as depicted on the coin. Upon hearing this, Linderman ordered that the
die be changed so that the eagle had the correct amount of tail feathers.
Silver Investing - Morgan Silver Dollars
October 6, 2008
The Morgan Silver Dollar - A Brief History
No other U. S. silver coin can compare with the rich history enjoyed by the Morgan silver dollar (also known as the Liberty Head silver dollar). Designed by George T. Morgan, the Morgan dollar remains a favorite of both casual and serious coin collectors.
A total of five U. S. Mints were involved in the production of Morgan silver dollars from 1878 thru 1921: Carson City; Denver (1921 only); New Orleans; Philadelphia; and San Francisco.
Minting of the Morgan dollar was suspended in 1904 due a government shortage of silver bullion. Only about 8,812,000 (a relatively small mintage) were produced that year. It was another 17 years before another Morgan silver dollar was minted. In 1921, production resumed but later that year the Morgan dollar was replaced by the Peace silver dollar.
The world would be awash in Morgan silver dollars except for two events: 1) the Pittman Act of 1918 permitted the melting of 270,232,722 Morgans for their silver content; and, 2) unknown millions more were turned in and melted when silver reached an all time high of $50.50 per ounce in 1980. So the number of Morgan dollars in existence are far less than the number minted.
The CC Silver Dollar - What You Should Know
September 30, 2008
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.
Morgan Silver Dollars - A Staple For Silver Dollar Collectors
September 23, 2008
First minted in 1874, the Morgan Silver Dollar was produced for 30 years, ending production in 1904. After almost 20 years of not being produced, the US Mint did a production run of 1921 Silver Dollars and thus the coins finally ceased production after 1921, never to be produced again. Oddly enough, and unlike many other silver dollar coins, the Morgan Silver Dollar was not named after a famous politician or businessperson, but was named after the designer of the Morgan Silver Dollar.
Prior to the Morgan Silver Dollar was the Seated Liberty Silver Dollar and Silver trade coins which were used mainly for trade with the orient. Morgan Silver Dollars were made of 0.77344 troy ounce of silver and were produced around the same time as a large silver strike in Nevada. Because the availability of silver was so large, the US government resumed production for one year to produce the now famous 1921 Morgan Silver Dollar.
The Morgan Dollar - 1878 to 1921
September 16, 2008
The Morgan Dollar is a United States Silver Dollar named after its designer, George T. Morgan. These were made from 1878 to 1904, and then again, in 1921, just for that year. He designed both sides of this coin and his personal monogram shows close to Lady Liberty's neck on the front side of the coin. Morgans design used Anna Willess Williams, who was a schoolteacher and, occasional model, from Philadelphia. The back of the coin showed what has been called a rather malnourished eagle.
The silver coin itself is large, 38.1 mm in diameter, weighs 26.73 grams, is made of .900 fine silver and has a reeded edge. The total silver content is .77344 troy ounces. Late in the 1850s, the Comstock Lode was discovered in Nevada. This had been called the biggest silver strike in history and had the effect of driving down silver prices all over the world. As a result of this strike, Congress initiated the Bland-Allison Act in 1878, which made it a requirement for the Treasury Department to buy great amounts of silver to make coins from. Therefore, the first Morgan Dollar was made on March 11, 1878.
