1879 Morgan Silver Dollar

One of the most collected silver coins in our history is The Morgan Dollar. The coin was first struck in 1878 and was created to absorb the quantity of silver minted from the Comstock Lode.

When the United States desired to raise money to recover from the cost of the Civil War it used the Morgan Silver Dollar. This was done by cutting the silver with 20% alloys and selling the coin for a full dollar, raising 20cents for each sale.

The Morgan Silver Dollar is the largest coin minted since the Civil War. It contains a 0.77344 ounces of pure silver and was minted continuously from 1878 to 1904. Congress would be recalling over 270 million silver dollars for melting and the Morgan silver dollar would be minted one last year in 1921. It was replaced by the Peace Silver Dollar, which was coined with the very Morgan silver melted down and recast.

Morgan silver dollars are the most popular and widely collected of all U.S. silver coins. Minted between 1878 and 1904, and again in 1921.

The coin was named after designer James T. Morgan. The Morgan dollar is also known as the Liberty Head dollar because of the profile of Miss Liberty. The reverse pictures the inspiring image of an American Eagle, standing tall with widespread wings, perched upon the olive branch of peace and the arrows of military might, indicating a new period of American power and wealth.

Large quantities of Morgan dollars were minted in from 1878 through 1904, when production ended because of a silver shortage, very few have survived until today. As result of the Pittman Act of 1918, nearly 270 million Morgan dollars were melted down into silver bars for export, causing some dates to become rare. Further melting occurred in the 1960s and 1980s when silver prices skyrocketed. Only about 17% of the total number of Morgan silver dollars minted have survived, and only a tiny fraction of those in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, making them genuinely scarce coins.

Morgan Dollars offer investor advantages of silver bullion, plus the added profit potential that comes with being scarce collectible coins. The classic Morgan dollars were minted a century ago and are extremely limited in supply today.

The Morgan dollars are avidly sought by collectors worldwide for their beautiful design and rich history. Investors and collectors are turning to the Morgan Dollars to secure their investment portfolios against the risk of uncertain times, or simply to build their collections.

New collectors are discovering the history and beauty of classic Morgan dollars. One thing is for sure, the demand for these historic time capsules are rising.