Coin Book Reviews: A Guide Book of Morgan Silver Dollars by Q David Powers

The 2nd edition of "A Guide Book of Morgan Silver Dollars, A complete History and Price Guide" was released in paperback form on March 31, 2005.
The first chapter discussed the appeal and challenges of collecting Morgan Dollars and a few tidbits about the history of the Morgan Dollar. While only 5 and 1/2 pages long, the first chapter is filled with interesting facts. As you enter chapter two, the book goes back a ways and discussed the history of dollar coins in general going back to the Spanish Milled Dollars, then the Mint Act of 1792 and how US coinage began. There are several paragraphs discussing the early dollar coins, there popularity, or lack thereof, and how the dollar was eliminated and replaced with the Trade Dollar.
The book does a very decent job of describing the events that were happening during this time period such as the troubling times for silver companies and the political involvement to help them out that eventually led to the Morgan Dollar. Chapters 3 and 4 are packed with excellent information on the design process for the Morgan Dollar and them the minting process. For a new collector, this is very good information.
Chapter 5 discusses the five, yes five different mints that produced Morgan Dollars, although the Denver mint only produced Morgan Dollars for one year, the year 1921. Chapter five also gives a little bit of history about each of the mints.
Chapter 6 discusses the various hoards of silver dollars discovered long after the demise of the dollar. Some once thought scare dates were now plentiful as the US Treasury began releasing and selling Silver Dollars held in vaults for years.
Chapter 7 delves into the variety of ways you can collect Morgan Dollars. If you are at all familiar with Morgan Dollars, then you know that there is a multitude of ways to collect this coveted coin. Chapter 7 will give you many ideas to help you narrow down the way you may want to collect this series
Chapter 8 discusses grading and the ANA grading scale. If you are familiar with the scales, then there is not much new here. Also, this is also where I think the book could stand some improvement. There are pictures providing examples for each grade, but like most, if not all books about grading, there are only descriptions for MS60 and above. I would have liked to see large pictures for each MS grade. This would give collectors a clear indication of the impact of bag marks in regards to grading.
Chapter 9 discusses the many varieties within the Morgan series while Chapter 10 is where the real meat of the book is. Chapter 10 contains a page for each and every year and mint of the entire Morgan Dollar series. Each page contains information on keys to collecting, circulation strikes, prooflike coins, price guide, availability guide, mintage and distribution and varieties. Each page is jam-packed with information very specific to each date and mint. In addition, there is a summary for each year that discussed things going on at the time and other general information about Morgan Dollars for that year. This type of information no doubt took years to gather and is invaluable to the serious Morgan Dollar collector.
Chapter 10 is buy far the longest and provides incredible detail for each and every year and mint of the Morgan series. There is one page for each date/mint that provides information such as optimal collecting grade, PCGS population (although outdated as more coins become certified), estimated field population, total mintages, varieties, etc. In addition, there is a page for each year that discusses collecting and how life was during that particular year. In all, chapter 10 is for the series Morgan Dollar collector.
In summary, if you are a series Morgan Dollar collector, or just a beginner, this is a must have book. The information provided in this book is incredible and provides the collector with incredible information into collecting one of the most popular coins collected today.
This book gets 4 1/2 stars.
If this book had blown up pictures of Mint State type coins, it would have rated a 5. Since the Morgan Dollar is most desired in Mint State, it puzzles me as to why graded pictures are not provided.

By : Keith Scott
Author Resource:- Keith Scott has been a collector for over 30 years. His website has Coin Book Reviews. He also writes Coin Collecting Articles for fun. Visit his websites for a history of US coins, metal market updates and news about your favorite coins.
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1923-S Peace Silver Dollar

This is a good example of the way Silver Dollars should look like. It is a 1923-S Peace 90% Silver Dollar that is around Very Fine circulated condition. It is an excellent investment because it is a minted coin.

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1878 7TF Morgan Dollar

This 1878 7TF Rev of 79 Morgan shows plenty of obvious circulation. The surfaces have a bit more than average wear for a coin this age. There are still some details, however, in key areas. It has a light grey color.
First year Morgans get quite pricey and this one makes a nice "starter coin" for new collectors who don't want to dive right in and spend a lot until they learn more about dates and grades and so forth. This coin was scanned to give you a close view of the true condition. The rims are in solid shape.

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Silver Dollar

Silver is one of the most versatile precious metals and can be put to more than one use. It serves practical, as well as ornamental purposes. It has been used for making coins of different denominations, as it is a malleable metal. History of use of silver coins can be traced as back as the 15th century when deposits of silver in Germany and central Europe were beaten into coins. Thomas Jefferson advocated minting of silver dollars in United States. The first silver dollar was struck in the year 1794 as per his recommendation.
There are different types of Silver Dollars that come with different nomenclatures. Silver Dollars are also collectibles, and people who have a passion for collecting coins are always on the look out for rare ones. The Peace Silver Dollar is a favorite with coin collectors. This dollar coin meant for general circulation has 90% silver content. It is known as the true American Silver Dollar, because those minted thereafter do not have as much silver in them. The production of the Peace Silver Dollar began between 1934 and 1935, in Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. Its relevance also lies in the fact that it was issued in commemoration of the end of World War I.
The Morgan Silver Dollar, first minted in 1878, was named after George T. Morgan, who designed it. This coin is also popular with collectors. The Morgan Silver Dollar was not as sought after as the Peace was. It was snubbed by coin collectors to the extent that many dates, including those in mint state condition could be obtained for as little as $1.00. It was after 1962, when the U.S government started selling original 1000 pieces that Morgan came to light. Its exclusivity and uniqueness led to the expansion of the collector's base of the Morgan Silver Dollars.
There are many websites that showcase silver dollars of different kinds such as the silver JFK half-dollar, the Morgan Silver Dollar, the gold plated Silver Eagle Dollar and the Peace Dollar.
By Ken Marlborough
Silver provides detailed information on Silver, Silver Rings, Sterling Silver Jewelry, Colloidal Silver and more. Silver is affiliated with Sterling Silver Jewelry.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Marlborough


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Choice BU 1882 Silver Morgan Dollar

Here we have one very nice Choice BU 1882-P mint silver Morgan dollar. The coin is in raw uncertified condition and is a very nice original coin. I do not attach an MS grade to the coin as grading is very subjective and I am by no means an expert. One person may grade a coin as an MS64 while another one grade it as an MS65 so I will leave it up to you to grade the coin. This is a very nice looking coin and would be a great upgrade or addition to any Morgan collection or investment grade collection.

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1881-O Morgan Silver Dollar (BU)

This is a 1881-O Morgan Silver Dollar that is a BU example of the Morgan series. The coin has beautiful features, great detail on both the obverse and reverse, and it retains its original luster. The wording on both sides is very strong. The coin displays a full LIBERTY, and all of the hairlines have great detail. The Eagle on the reverse has complete breast feathers, along with very nice detail in the wreath, arrows, and Eagle's talons. This is a terrific coin, and will make a very nice addition to someone's collection of Morgans.

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SCARCE 1901-P MORGAN SILVER DOLLAR NGC MS64

This is a super rare 1901 Philadelphia minted Morgan Dollar graded choice MS64 by NGC. This is a very handsome Morgan -- very well-struck smooth fields and lots of eye-appeal. The surfaces are blemish-free and have a wonderful velvety appearance with a soft-plum hue that excentuates the beauty of this Morgan dollar. A very pristine cartwheel shine simmers from the original mint luster of this PQ specimen. Truly, this is a very choice silver piece makes a fantastic addition to any collection.

Though over 6 million Morgan Dollars were produced at the Philadelphia mintage in 1901, very few high-end specimens remain. Most were lost to circulation or melted down in the massive bullion melts of the 1930s. This Morgan is one of the finest 17 surviving examples of this mintage to be graded by NGC. Note that only 3 1901-P Morgans have been graded higher than this one by NGC (all at MS65)!

Coin World Trends currently shows a value of $60,000 for the 1901-P Morgan Dollar in CHOICE MS64 grade. Compare this to the whopping $300,000 price tag of the MS65, and you'll understand what makes the MS64 such a shrewd investment.

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