Country or Region: United States of America
Years: (left to right) 1878, 1900, 1921
Created from: 1878-1904, 1921
Value: $1 USD
Weight: 26.73 grams
Diameter: 38.1 mm
Composition: Silver (0.9), Copper (0.1)
Estimated Modern Value: $1.00-$45.00 CAD
Obverse:
E·PLURIBUS·UNUM
(1878, 1900, 1921)
Translation:
Out of many, we are one
Reverse:
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
In God We Trust
ONE DOLLAR
The Morgan Dollar
Named after the coin’s designer, George T. Morgan, United States Morgan Dollars were minted between the years 1878 and 1904, and brought back in 1921.
Mint and Mintage
The value of the Morgan Dollar today is extremely variable. A single coin, in good condition or better, can be worth anywhere between $21.00 and $90,000.00 (according to coinflation.com). This massive range of values is related to the individual mint of the coin – to be put simply, the year and mint symbol that appears on the coin. For example, the 1900 Morgan dollar pictured above bears a very small o above the ONE DOLLAR lettering – this marking, combined with its year and condition predicts its value to be around $21.00-$25.00. The other two Morgan dollars in the collection (1878-S and 1921) are worth similar amounts.
These very tiny mint marks on the coins correspond to the location in which they were minted. For these coins, the various mint marks are as follows:
D – Denver
S – San Francisco
O – New Orleans
CC – Carson City
P or without – Philadelphia
The most important predictor for the value of a Morgan dollar is generally the number of coins minted in a particular city during a particular year. The mint year and location of Morgan dollars valued at as much as $90,000.00 is 1893-S (minted in San Francisco in the year 1893). These particular coins are regarded as the key date of the series, and has the lowest mintage at only 100,000 coins struck in that year from that city.
George T. Morgan (1845-1925)
Born in Burmingham, England in 1845, George T. Morgan immigrated to the United States in 1876 and became prominently involved in the minting of U.S. coins from 1877 onward. Around 1917, Morgan became the 7th Chief Engraver of the United States Mint.
In designing the Morgan dollar, Morgan’s predecessor and mentor upon his arrival in the United States, Charles Barber, also submitted a possible design. Quoted from the Numismatist (and on this website here) in 1975, the following is a comparison of the two designs:
“In 1878, George Morgan had a chance to demonstrate his experience and talents. His coin, a variation of the adopted dollar introduced in 1878, had Liberty’s head sculpted in a classic style. The only complaint against the design was that Liberty appeared somewhat obese. Charles Barber also submitted a possible design. However, his version showed Liberty fat, rather dumpy looking and appearing to have thyroid trouble. It was far from his best effort. It is interesting to study the reverses of the early designs of both Morgan and Barber. The Morgan eagle, supposedly created in imitation of real life, actually seemed more heraldic in nature while the Barber eagle seemed stately and real. However, that opinion was not shared by everyone. Morgan used Anna Williams, a Philadelphia school teacher, for his model of Liberty. He apparently was enchanted with the woman and called her profile the most nearly perfect one he had ever encountered.“