3 Choice United States Morgan Silver Dollar Coins Dated 1879 1883 1889
Directory: Traditional Collectibles: Numismatics: Coins: North American: United States: Pre 1900: Item # 1464256
Please refer to our stock # COINS1 when inquiring.
A bit of history:
From 1794 to 1935, the United States issued dollar coins in silver. It is agreed by many experts in the field that the coinage created during this period is some of the finest artistic design work ever done in the field; subsequently, US Silver Dollars are highly valued by collectors as a reminder of the proud history of American currency.
The Morgan Dollar was created after the restoration of America’s bimetal minting system by the Bland-Allison act of 1878 which required the US treasury to acquire and use between two and four billion dollars worth of silver every month for coinage purposes.
As a result, it was determined that a new coin be designed, and George Morgan, an Englishman who apprenticed at the Royal Mint for many years, was chosen over a multitude of potential candidates including his own supervisor!
The obverse side of the coin features the head of Lady Liberty in profile based on the likeness of Anna Willess Williams, a schoolteacher who was the daughter of Morgan’s friend, Henry Williams. The face also features the U.S. motto “E Pluribus Unum,” or “from many, one,” as well as the year of pressing and thirteen five-pointed stars to represent the original colonies.
The reverse depicts an eagle in flight carrying an olive branch and arrows, showing strength in both peace and war. The first pressings showed the eagle with eight tail feathers, but later pressings reduced it to seven to maintain the tradition of showing an odd number of feathers on a U.S. eagle. The lettering identifies the United States and the value (one dollar), and the US motto, “In God We Trust.” The reverse also carries the mint mark: no letters for Philadelphia, CC for Carson City (Nevada), O for New Orleans, S for San Francisco, and D for Denver.
