Morgan Silver Dollars are without a doubt one of North America’s most popular silver coins. Anyone who has spent any time researching American silver will come across the Morgan. These coins are popular among collectors and for good reason. Here is what you should know about these historical metals.

How The Morgan Came To Be

These silver coins are a throwback to the classical American frontier where silver miners would push out West and burrow deep into the sides of mountains in order to find silver veins. The Morgan was struck during this time period at various mints, the most prominent of which was the Carson City Mint. Carson City, which is the capital of the state of Nevada, was close to the Comstock Lode, one of the biggest discoveries of silver in American history.

The Comstock Lode created multiple fortunes, led to rapid advances in mining and mint technology, and played a key role in the development of cities such as San Francisco. Many of the Morgan dollars in existence today were struck using silver which was discovered during the Comstock Lode. However, it was Thomas Jefferson who first proposed creating a distinctly American coin which was inspired by the Spanish Silver dollar.

However, the U.S. was unable to begin production before 1792, as at the time the nation had no mint. The Mint Act changed this as it led to the establishment of the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. At the time of its introduction the Morgan had the highest denomination of any silver coin.

The Morgan Has A Distinctive Design

One of the first things people will notice about this coin is its beautiful design. This is one of the main factors which contributed to its popularity. On the coin’s obverse side Lady Liberty can be seen, and she is portrayed as a type of goddess who dons a liberty cap. The inscription “Liberty” can be seen on the ribbon. The cap she wears also displays a couple of heads for wheat and dual cotton blossoms, which are meant to symbolize the importance of American agriculture. Thirteen stars are also present, which represent the original 13 colonies, as well as the “M” initial of George Morgan.

The coin’s reverse side displays an eagle with wings that are outstretched. The bald eagle is the national animal of the United States, and it holds an olive branch which symbolizes peace, but also has arrows in its talons which are symbols of war. This was meant to imply that although the United States was a nation of peace it would defend itself against attack. A mint mark is also visible which denotes which mint manufactured the coin. The inscription “In God We Trust” can be seen in Gothic, as well as a laurel wreath. The mints which were responsible for producing the Morgan coins include the Philadelphia Mint, San Francisco Mint, New Orleans Mint, Denver Mint and Carson City Mint.