For a lot of numismatists, a Morgan silver greenback set is a must have for his or her assortment—and this is likely one of the most collected sequence of cash the U.S. Mint has ever produced.
Inside that sequence, the Morgan silver {dollars} minted on the legendary Carson Metropolis Mint in Nevada are extremely wanted. And, there are solely 13 cash within the Carson Metropolis Morgan greenback sequence. The thrilling information? Constructing a Carson Metropolis Morgan greenback set is an attainable objective for many collectors.
Historical past behind the Carson Metropolis Mint
Why are Morgan {dollars} with the famed “CC” mint mark so fascinating? This storied western mint was in operation for a mere 21 years of outstanding Wild West historical past. Right here’s the way it all started…
In 1857, a miner named Henry Comstock laid declare to what grew to become often known as the Comstock Lode in Nevada. Prospectors struck it wealthy and earned large fortunes. Phrase of the silver discovery unfold rapidly.
Close by Carson Metropolis, Nevada grew quick as silver quickly flowed out of the mine. The city was based in 1858 and named after the long-lasting frontiersman: Equipment Carson, a trapper, scout and information. As an increasing number of folks flooded to the area, the necessity for coinage in on a regular basis commerce skyrocketed. Demand for a second Mint within the West was sturdy.
At the moment, Nevada was pretty remoted from the remainder of the nation. And transporting uncooked treasured steel to the San Francisco Mint was difficult. Railroads had not but expanded to Nevada, which meant the one solution to ship gold and silver to San Francisco for processing was on horseback or a mule practice. For a lot of, that was a harmful proposition within the tough and tumble Wild West, on account of bandits and robbers on the open street.
So, solely six years after Nevada grew to become a state, the historic Carson Metropolis Mint started operations in 1870 order to course of the large quantity of steel being mined within the space into sorely wanted coinage.
Carson Metropolis Morgan {Dollars}
The Carson Metropolis Mint started producing Morgan {dollars} in 1878 and struck the silver {dollars} every year till 1885. Then, after a 3 yr break, the Carson Metropolis Mint restarted manufacturing in 1889 and continued producing these cash till the Mint department closed in 1893. There are a complete of 13 points highlighting the long-lasting “CC” Mintmark.
We listing the Carson Metropolis Morgan {Dollars} beneath with their mintages.
Description Mintage
1878-CC 2,212,000
1879-CC 756,000
1880-CC 495,000
1881-CC 296,000
1882-CC 1,133,000
1883-CC 1,204,000
1884-CC 1,136,000
1885-CC 228,000
1889-CC 350,000
1890-CC 2,309,041
1891-CC 1,618,000
1892-CC 1,352,000
1893-CC 677,000
Usually talking, Carson Metropolis Morgans have been struck at low volumes. In whole, the Carson Metropolis Mint produced solely 13.7 million Morgan silver {dollars}.
To grasp how actually low that quantity is, evaluate it to the quantity of Morgans struck on the Denver Mint in 1921 alone – a whopping 20.3 million—in only one yr!
If you wish to construct a Carson Metropolis Morgan greenback set, it’s value understanding that the important thing date is the 1889-CC. The rarity of this coin stems from its extremely low survivorship moderately than its mintage.
Two different points stand out when it comes to mintage: the 1881-CC and 1885-CC, with low mintages of solely 296,000 and 228,000 cash, respectively, that are the 2 lowest struck from Carson Metropolis.
The GSA Hoard
For collectors at present, it’s nonetheless potential to find these cash as a big share survived in uncirculated situation by the “GSA Hoard.”
In case you aren’t aware of this occasion, in the course of the Nineteen Sixties, the U.S. Treasury found baggage of over 2.8 million Morgan {Dollars}, over 95% of which have been minted at Carson Metropolis! In 1970, Congress directed the Treasury to switch the cash to the Common Companies Administration in an effort to publicly promote the cash.
The GSA packaged the Carson Metropolis Morgan {dollars} in exhausting cowl holders that stated, “CARSON CITY UNCIRCULATED SILVER DOLLAR.” Every coin was bought with a certificates of authenticity that said:
“This historic coin is a invaluable memento of an period in American historical past when pioneers have been difficult the West. The silver on this greenback was mined from the wealthy Comstock Lode, found within the mountains close to Carson Metropolis, Nevada.”
At this time, the surviving examples from the GSA Hoard which can be nonetheless of their authentic exhausting circumstances are thought-about probably the most fascinating of all.
George T. Morgan Designed the Beloved Silver Greenback
It’s straightforward to see why the Morgan greenback is beloved amongst numismatists. The big, almost palm-sized heavy silver greenback is a pleasure to carry in your hand. George T. Morgan, an engraver on the Mint, designed the silver greenback.
The Carson Metropolis Morgan greenback options Woman Liberty’s head on the obverse. The reverse shows a surprising eagle. Morgan selected to depict Liberty as an American girl, moderately than the standard Greek-style figures, and he used nature research of the bald eagle to encourage him together with his eagle design.
Carson Metropolis Morgan silver {dollars} characterize a tantalizing mixture of rarity and thrilling Wild West historical past. Are you curious about constructing a Carson Metropolis Morgan silver greenback set? Even should you don’t see cash out there on the market on our website, Blanchard has deep attain and connections inside the numismatic group and are sometimes capable of supply even exhausting to seek out cash. Give us a name and get began at present!
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