1881-S Morgan Dollar MS-65 PCGS

Product Details

Only $229.99 per coin
This 1881-S Morgan Dollar, graded MS-65 by PCGS, represents a high point in the renowned production of U.S. silver coinage from the celebrated San Francisco Mint. With its sharp strike and brilliant luster, it captures the American West boom.

The year 1881 found the United States in a period of dynamic expansion, and the "Granite Lady"—the San Francisco Mint—was diligently producing silver dollars that would become the economic heartbeat of the burgeoning West. This particular 1881-S Morgan Dollar, boasting a brilliant MS-65 grade from PCGS, offers a direct connection to that era. It emerged from a mintage of 12,760,000 pieces, a significant number reflecting the mandate of the Bland-Allison Act, which required the U.S. Mint to coin millions of silver dollars each month to stabilize the silver market and support Western mining interests.

Designed by George T. Morgan, an English-born engraver, the obverse of this dollar features a captivating profile of Lady Liberty, her cap adorned with wheat and cotton, symbolizing agricultural abundance. She was famously modeled by Anna Willess Williams, a schoolteacher from Philadelphia. The reverse showcases a majestic eagle with outstretched wings, clutching an olive branch and arrows, a classic representation of peace and defense. Struck at the San Francisco Mint, renowned for its superior coining techniques, this example exhibits the crisp details and dazzling cartwheel luster that collectors have come to expect from "S" mint mark Morgan Dollars.

Crafted with a purity of .900 fine silver and a metal content of 0.7734 troy ounces, this substantial coin measures 38.1 mm in diameter and 3.1 mm in thickness, giving it the satisfying heft that earned these dollars the nickname "cartwheels" in their day. With a face value of one dollar, these coins were more than just legal tender; they were tangible symbols of prosperity, facilitating transactions across bustling California cities and remote frontier towns. For anyone looking to hold a tangible artifact from American economic history, particularly one that reflects the quality and craftsmanship of the San Francisco Mint, this MS-65 graded 1881-S Morgan Dollar is a compelling artifact. It's a snapshot of a vibrant past, preserved with exceptional quality.