Morgan Silver Dollar
Obverse Design: Lady Liberty
Designer: George T. Morgan
Design Year: 1878
Reverse Design: Eagle holding arrows and olive branch, facing toward olive branch in left talon
Designer: George T. Morgan
Design Year: 1878
Production Years: 1878-1904, 1921
Mintmarks: None (Philadelphia), CC (Carson City), D (Denver), O (New Orleans), S (San Francisco)
Mintmark Location: Beneath tail feathers of bald eagle on reverse, between the letters D and O in ‘Dollar’
Diameter: 38.1mm
Thickness: 2.4mm
Edge: Reeded
Composition: 90% Silver 10% Copper
Mass: 26.73g
Key Dates: 1889-CC, 1893-S, 1895 proof
Notes: The Morgan Dollar is known for having many different varieties. These are called “VAMS” for “Van Allen-Mallis”, the authors of extensive research on the variations in the dies used to strike silver dollars. Over 6,000 VAMS are known to exist, with some of the most well-known being:
- 1878-P: 7/8 Tail Feathers, VAM-44, “The King of VAMs”
- 1879-CC: Clear CC
- 1882-O over S
- 1887-O: 7 over 6
- 1888-O: ScarFace
- 1888-O: Doubled Obverse (“Hot Lips”)
- 1900-O over CC
- 1901-P: “Shifted Eagle” Doubled Reverse
- 1903-S: Micro S
- 1921-:D/S OMM 4 were struck, 1 is currently known, in the collection of a Brooklyn, N.Y. collector.
The Morgan Dollar is one of the most popular coins to collect, due to a combination of being relatively well known, attractive, common enough in some varieties to provide an ample supply and active market for beginners, yet rare in other varieties to provide a challenge and thrill for more advanced collectors. As a general rule, coins from Carson City are more valuable than similar coins from other mints, due to the smaller mintages of CC dollars and an element of excitement due to Carson City’s association with the “Wild West.”
Morgan Dollar Mintage
| Issue | Total Mintage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1878-8TF | 750,000 | |
| 1878 | 9,759,550 | |
| 1878-CC | 2,212,000 | |
| 1878-S | 9,774,000 | |
| 1879 | 14,807,100 | |
| 1879-CC | 756,000 | |
| 1879-O | 2,887,000 | |
| 1879-S | 9,110,000 | |
| 1880 | 12,601,355 | |
| 1880-CC | 591,000 | |
| 1880-O | 5,305,000 | |
| 1880--S | 8,900,000 | |
| 1881 | 9,163,984 | |
| 1881-CC | 296,000 | |
| 1881-O | 5,708,000 | |
| 1881-S | 12,760,000 | |
| 1882 | 11,101,100 | |
| 1882-CC | 1,133,000 | |
| 1882-O | 6,090,000 | |
| 1882-S | 9,250,000 | |
| 1883 | 12,291,039 | |
| 1883-CC | 1,204,000 | |
| 1883-O | 8,725,000 | |
| 1883-S | 6,250,000 | |
| 1884 | 14,070,875 | |
| 1884-CC | 1,136,000 | |
| 1884-O | 9,730,000 | |
| 1884-S | 3,200,000 | |
| 1885 | 17,787,000 | |
| 1885-CC | 238,000 | |
| 1885-O | 9,185,000 | |
| 1885-S | 1,497,000 | |
| 1886 | 19,963,886 | |
| 1886-O | 10,710,000 | |
| 1886-S | 750,000 | |
| 1887 | 20,290,710 | |
| 1887-O | 11,550,000 | |
| 1887-S | 1,771,000 | |
| 1888 | 19,183,832 | |
| 1888-O | 12,150,000 | |
| 1888-S | 657,000 | |
| 1889 | 21,726,811 | |
| 1889-CC | 350,000 | Key Date |
| 1889-O | 11,875,000 | |
| 1889-S | 700,000 | |
| 1890 | 16,802,590 | |
| 1890-CC | 2,309,041 | |
| 1890-O | 10,701,000 | |
| 1890-S | 8,230,373 | |
| 1891 | 8,694,206 | |
| 1891-CC | 1,618,000 | |
| 1891-O | 7,954,529 | |
| 1891-S | 5,296,000 | |
| 1892 | 1,037,245 | |
| 1892-CC | 1,352,000 | |
| 1892-O | 2,744,000 | |
| 1892-S | 1,200,000 | |
| 1893 | 378,792 | |
| 1893-CC | 677,000 | |
| 1893-O | 300,000 | |
| 1893-S | 100,000 | Key Date |
| 1894 | 110,972 | |
| 1894-O | 1,723,000 | |
| 1894-S | 1,260,000 | |
| 1895-O | 450,000 | |
| 1895-S | 400,000 | |
| 1896 | 9,976,762 | |
| 1896-O | 4,900,000 | |
| 1896-S | 5,000,000 | |
| 1897 | 2,822,731 | |
| 1897-O | 4,004,000 | |
| 1897-S | 5,825,000 | |
| 1898 | 5,884,735 | |
| 1898-O | 4,440,000 | |
| 1898-S | 4,102,000 | |
| 1899 | 330,846 | |
| 1899-O | 12,290,000 | |
| 1899-S | 2,562,000 | |
| 1900 | 8,830,912 | |
| 1900-O | 12,590,000 | |
| 1900-S | 3,540,000 | |
| 1901 | 6,962,813 | |
| 1901-O | 13,320,000 | |
| 1901-S | 2,284,000 | |
| 1902 | 7,994,777 | |
| 1902-O | 8,636,000 | |
| 1902-S | 1,530,000 | |
| 1903 | 4,652,755 | |
| 1903-O | 4,450,000 | |
| 1903-S | 1,241,000 | |
| 1904 | 2,788,650 | |
| 1904-O | 3,720,000 | |
| 1904-S | 2,304,000 | |
| 1921 | 44,690,000 | |
| 1921-D | 20,345,000 | |
| 1921-S | 21,695,000 |
