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:
Morgan Silver Dollars – Popular and Beautiful
November 30, 2008
It’s easy to see why Morgan silver dollars are among the most popular with coin collectors – and also why they’re some of the most valued. Their story blends with some of the most tumultuous times in western American history and Morgan silver dollars are some of the most beautiful coins ever minted.
Morgan silver dollars have gained in value over the years and that trend is expected to continue. The Carson City Morgans are highly collectible because the last cache of those minted has all been distributed and because lovers of American west history desire them – not only for their dollar value, but for what they represent.
You can purchase some Morgan dollars for several hundred dollars if they’re in extra fine shape. If the dollar is uncirculated, it can be worth several thousand dollars, depending on which year the coin was minted. The actual value of the Morgan coins depends on the condition they’re in, based on the criteria that the coins be clean and certified by a reputable grading service.
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.
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.
History of the Morgan Silver Dollar
August 25, 2008
The Morgan silver dollar was minted in an attempt to keep the price of silver stabilized after an enormous silver strike in Colorado caused a sudden crash in the price of silver. This dollar was minted from 1878 through 1904, then stopped because silver suddenly increased in price, and then minted for one more year in 1921.
In addition, it was minted in several locations: Carson City, Denver, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Philadelphia; only Denver and Philadelphia are mint locations today. The value of a Morgan silver dollar depends on its year, the mint that created it, and the quality of its preservation.
A Morgan silver dollar has the head of Lady Liberty on the front and a wing-spread eagle holding arrows and an olive branch on the back; you'll recognize the reverse as being very similar to that of a quarter. This coin is the first of our minted coins to use the slogan E Pluribus Unum. It's a large coin, about the same size as a half-dollar in use today or just a little bigger, and it has a silver fineness of .900, or 90% silver, so silver content by weight is just over 24 grams. The remaining metal is copper.
