All About US Mint Silver Dollars

The Morgan Silver Dollar is a genuine US silver dollar and is one of the most popular coins available to US collectors today. Morgan Silver Dollars were first minted in 1878 when silver mine owners lobbied the government to re-issue silver dollars – the mintage of which had been halted in 1873.

Designed by George T. Morgan, the coin’s namesake, the front of the Morgan displays Lady Liberty crowned with a cap decorated in wheat and cotton– the staples of our young nation. The reverse of the Morgan Silver Dollar bears the words "In God We Trust" and “The United States of America” and features an American Eagle standing proudly with its wings spread.

U.S. Mint

For over a hundred years, rare coin collectors have loved to save Morgan Silver Dollars. In the early days, most silver dollar coins stayed close to where they were minted. Morgan Dollars were minted from 1878 until 1904 in the Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Carson City mints.

The San Francisco and Carson City coins circulated on Western frontiers and seldom appeared back East, while Philadelphia and New Orleans coins mostly did stay back east. Even when silver dollar coins were still being minted, collectors found it was rare to come across a Morgan Silver Dollar that was “out of region.”


Because each US silver dollar bears a mint mark, it’s easy to save sets of rare Morgan Silver Dollars by mint.

• New Orleans silver dollar coins have an “O” mint mark.
  
• The San Francisco coins bear an “S”.
  
• Carson City's Mint has a distinctive double mint mark of “CC”
  
• The Denver Mint a “D”.
  
• Morgan Silver Dollars from the Philadelphia Mint are different in that they bear no mint mark at all.
  
  

  Building a Set of Morgans - Learn How Here
  

  It’s fun and exciting to collect sets of coins. Whether it’s a set of silver dollar coins or some other type of coin, traditionally, coins collected in sets are easier to sell later. Future buyers will often pay a premium for sets of rare coins.
  
  For that reason alone, we recommend that you build a set of Morgan Silver Dollars. There are many ways to build sets and a Silver Dollar Mint Set featuring a coin from each of the five branches of the US Mint is an excellent way to start.
  
  At today’s affordable prices, you can set aside less than $100 a month and begin building an entire collection of US silver dollars. Just from such a modest start, every set of silver dollars began that way at some time in the past.
  
  Along the way, coin collectors have been rewarded as Morgan Silver Dollars' value has enjoyed excellent long-term appreciation. Each Morgan you save is entrusted to you to protect and hold in safekeeping for the next generation.
  
  Morgan Silver Dollars make an ideal legacy to leave behind for your children and grandchildren. While you’re collecting, this hobby will allow you to spend time together sharing your family values. In the end, collecting coins, like silver dollars, is much more than just a hobby or a past time, it’s a proven way to build a portfolio of American treasures.
  
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