Morgan Silver Dollar History
The Morgan Silver Dollar: Why is it so Beloved
The Morgan silver dollar was named after it’s designer George T. Morgan and has become the “King of America’s Coins”, as it is a prized coin in any coin collectors stash. The romanticized historical ties of the coin and its fine composition contributes to its fame. The Morgan Silver Dollar is made of .900 fine silver, minted in a time when silver was abundant with no market for production yet shrouded by controversy.
Morgan Silver Dollar History
A very historical piece of the 19th century. Minted first in 1878, a time when gunslingers, saloon halls, cowboys and cattle barons, as well as railroad tycoons populated West, where the coin was mainly distributed. Thus enveloping the Morgan silver dollar in the fantasy of the Old West. Additional 
historical value of the coin comes from the Coinage act of 1873 that devalued silver and sent the U.S. into an economic downfall. It ordered the U.S. to no longer buy silver at a statutory price and so forcing the United States to back its currency on the gold standard, when it had been previously been backed by both silver and gold. However some relief was found with the discovery of the Comstock Lode of 1880 in Nevada. A flood of silver poured into the market contributing to the minting of silver coins and dollars.To further sink the coin into historical significance the Sherman Silver Purchase Act 1890 brought a dark cloud over the purchase of silver and eventually led the country into an economic downfall.Many Americans became unemployed and starving. By 1904 the production of the Morgan silver dollar was ceased.
Yet to much surprise the Morgan dollar made a revival in 1921 when it was minted once more. This was the result of The Pittman Act of 1918 when Britain bought the bullion of the melted 350 million dollars worth of silver coins to back India’s currency. This brought revenue from the millions of silver dollars stored in the U.S. governments treasury and revitalized the silver industry. However the production lasted less than a year. But a unique rarity can be found in the silver dollars of this period as it was the first and only time the originally opened 1906 Denver mint produced and distributed Morgan silver dollars. These special editions are the only few that bear the “D” Denver mint mark.
Other rare Morgan silver dollars come of the tail feather controversy within the coins first 5 years of minting. The original design was created with the American eagle having 8 tail feathers. On all previous U.S. coinage, the eagle has odd numbered tail feathers. This sparked debate and was eventually decided upon that proper representation of the American Eagle would contain 7 tail feathers. As a result, the Philadelphia mint re-struck the 8 feathered coins with the new 7 feather design. This created a rare batch of 1878 Morgan silver dollars to have superimposed reversed designs, known as the 7 over 8 tail feathers. A second rare Morgan silver dollar didn’t emerge until 1960 when the treasury department was accounting for all silver dollars still in storage and discovered uncirculated Carson City minted dollars. They instantly became in high demand by collectors as the coins were very scarce in numbers.
The Morgan Silver Dollar is One of the Most Widely Collected Coins!
In the history of silver dollars, the Morgan remains the most collected silver coin in the world. Bringing to collectors a piece of a time when the American nation was young and full of potential. The Morgan silver dollar holds a special piece of American history and so is beloved by collectors of all types.