The Morgan Dollar is the most popularly collected and arguably the most beloved coin series in American history. Every Morgan Dollar has a story to tell, and today we will focus on the story of those struck at the New Orleans Mint. Every year from 1879 until the series’ retirement in 1904, a Morgan Dollar issue bore the iconic New Orleans “O” mintmark. Today, those issues are some truly exciting pieces for collectors to acquire.
The Carson City Mint only struck silver Morgan Dollars for a span of 13 years from 1878 to 1893. Due to this limited run, Morgan Dollars with the illustrious “CC” mintmark are a favorite among numismatists. Devoted Carson City collectors also seek out a rare error variety produced in 1900, sometimes referred to as "the Last Carson City Morgan Dollar."
The Morgan Silver Dollar is the most collected coin in the history of American numismatics, and those struck at the Carson City Mint have always been the most desirable issues of the series. Although the Comstock Lode, the first major silver ore discovery in the United States, occurred just a stone’s throw away from Carson City, only a small percentage of Morgan Dollars ever bore the “CC” mintmark. From their limited availability to their connection with the American Wild Western Frontier, these coins have left collectors clamoring for well over a century. This article will equip you with all you need to know about Carson City Morgan Dollars before building your very own collection.
While the Morgan Dollar was struck over a period of 40 years and became one of the most popular silver dollars struck by the U.S. Mint, it took Congress overriding a presidential veto to bring the design to life.
The U.S. Mint is delaying the release of the upcoming 2021 Morgan and 2021 Peace Dollars.
Within 20 minutes, the brand-new 2021 Morgan Dollars with New Orleans and Carson City privy marks sold out from the U.S. Mint’s website.
Last November and December, the numismatic world witnessed an unprecedented event, as three of the most renowned and sought-after Morgan dollars on the collectible market were sold at auction. Conducted by Stacks, the auction sold off the coin collection of the late Larry H. Miller, consisting of over 1,600 individual pieces. With 36 coins selling for six figures or more, and 3 that sold for more than a million, the total sales of the auction came close to $24 million. All proceeds of the auction went to the construction of Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi, Utah, a fitting tribute to Miller’s charitable and caring legacy.
On April 23rd, 1918, Congress enacted the Pittman Act, which oversaw the melting of nearly half of every Morgan Dollar ever struck. To this day, this remains one of the largest mass melts of coinage conducted by the U.S. Mint in history. To this number in perspective, if each of the 270,232,722 Morgan Dollars melted during this act were stacked on top of each other, they would form a tower over 400 miles high. Why was such a large portion of the Morgan Dollar series destroyed in this manner? Like other coin melts, the answer lies with the current events of the time.
Last Thursday, March 11th, marked the 143rd anniversary of the Morgan Dollar’s initial production. As one of the most collected U.S. coin of all time, the Morgan Dollar has long been considered a cornerstone of the American numismatic canon.
In 1859, stunning news came out of Virginia City, Nevada: a massive lode of silver ore had been discovered under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson. This new discovery, known as the Comstock Lode, promised incredible fortunes for miners and those involved in the silver industry. One major hurdle with the Comstock Lode, however, was that the nearest mint was located over 200 miles away in San Francisco. That meant in order to strike any of this silver into legal currency, thousands of tons of the precious metal would have to be transported on a perilous journey over the Sierra Nevada mountains.
