Morgan Silver Dollar (1878-1904-1921) were minted in the millions, but saw very little circulation, and were stored in mint vaults to back the silver certificates. Over time, this silver dollar, has become one of the most collected coins among numismatist; due to the high mintages, its’ size, the 90% silver content, a pleasing design, and ease of obtaining mint state specimens.

Even with these facts, and that millions are traded annually, most of the population don’t even know they exist. Out of the coin collector population, many don’t even realize there exist Morgan Designs of other denominations, and the only examples of these in existence today are the form of Morgan Patterns. These pattern pieces where minted as dimes, quarters, half dollars and there exist dollar patterns as well.  To see these images, values and facts on these patterns Morgan Patterns

Another problematic aspect of buying Morgan Silver Dollars, and the most abused, is grading these large silver dollars. It’s not difficult to notice when a Morgan has been circulated until the coin in question is close to MS as in Almost uncirculated (AU58).  Some sellers or dealers will tout an AU58 as MS, because many AU58 Morgans have better eye appeal than some MS60 (Mint Stae 60) examples, and an MS60 Morgan is more valuable, and sometimes much more valuable in MS60 compared to MS60. In example, an AU58 1884-S Morgan jumps dramatically in value in the MS60 grade, and this causes a lot of mis-graded coins that you find on ebay. Coins that appear, because of “trick” or blurred image, MS60 or higher, when the coin isn’t MS at all.  To see images and examples of Morgan Dollars in each grade Morgan Dollar Grading. Also, watch out for wannabe grading companies, that place their own coins in holder they purchased, and placed an inappropriate grade or condition on the label, and I have a list of well over a hundred to help the collector Coin Grading Service.

Two other aspects of Morgan Dollar collecting I would like to share is cleaning and counterfeiting, and it’s more prevalent than many believe, even some top dealers don’t always get it right! As I stated before, Morgan Silver Dollars where minted from 1878-1904 and then again in 1921, and that’s a lot of years (132 years to be exact) since the first Morgan was struck. Silver reacts with oxygen, heat, humidity and sulfur, and many of these coins where stored in unsuitable condition, and it’s unlikely that many silver dollar would retain the original luster obtained during the minting process. However, such is not the case, the market is full of bright white examples, and while most would be considered original, it’s a must that collectors gain a keen eye for altered surfaces.  Here are a couple examples to help collectors identify cleaned Morgans. Identify Cleaned Coins

Morgan Dollar coin collectors should develop a keen eye for possible fake or counterfeits, and look for dates and mint mark combinations that don’t exist, like an 1904-CC (none were ever minted). Also, the appearance of most fake Morgans don’t look normal, and often the letters or fonts are incorrect, and even coins in fake holders like PCGS and NGC have been produced, but with a little research, a collector doesn’t have to worry about being fooled. My website has examples of fake slabs (click here) and examples of fake Morgan Dollars (click here).

I hope this article helps Morgan Silver Dollar Coin Collectors, and if you would like to see more information on this beautiful and highly collectible US Coin, here are a few more links from my website, Morgan Mintages & Values , Morgan Dollar Pictures By Date.