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This brief letter might explain 7 over 8 tail feather Morgan dollars

RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited January 30, 2019 8:48AM in U.S. Coin Forum

This short letter accounts for the 7 over 8 tail feather 1878 Morgan silver dollars, including the number of varieties and its relative abundance. Have fun. :)

The Mint of the United States
at Philadelphia

March 25, 1878

Hon. James Pollock,
Superintendent

Sir,
I beg to say that the new hub for reverse of silver dollar was finished and hardened today (March 25th).

New dies from this hub will be ready about 2nd April; but I can enter this hub into the dies – fifty in number – made from the old hub and have these ready this week.

I am Sir,
Yours obediently
George Morgan

[RG104 E-1 Box 111 Mar 1878 from NNP]

Comments

  • CoinosaurusCoinosaurus Posts: 9,614 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Messydesk may well have documented all 50 reverse dies, and calculated the rarity of each.

  • StellaStella Posts: 689 ✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for sharing, @RogerB . The old Mint correspondence is always interesting.

    Coin collector since childhood and New York Numismatist at Heritage Auctions.
  • RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 30, 2019 4:27PM

    I guess no one likes 7/8 tail feather Morgans any more.

    [However, this information might have appeared in one of Bob Julian's many excellent Numismatic Scrapbook articles that collectors are unable to access.]

  • HighReliefHighRelief Posts: 3,654 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 30, 2019 1:01PM

    As I understood it James Pollock thought the smaller tail feathers made the eagle look weak so the US Mint wanted to boost the eagles appearance to look much bolder.

    Picture added for visual study of the variety.

    Photography by BluCC

  • Timbuk3Timbuk3 Posts: 11,658 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Interesting information, thanks for sharing !!! :)

    Timbuk3
  • coindeucecoindeuce Posts: 13,471 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I respectfully disagree with the comment about relative abundance with regard to the VAM 44 tripled die obverse. ;) The current census is less than 100 in all grades.

    "Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
    http://www.americanlegacycoins.com

  • RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭

    HighRelief - this far, Ive seen nothing to substantiate the Pollock comment. Nearly all of the design changes were made at the suggestion of director Linderman and A. L. Snowden. Most were Snowden's

  • HighReliefHighRelief Posts: 3,654 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @RogerB said:
    HighRelief - this far, Ive seen nothing to substantiate the Pollock comment. Nearly all of the design changes were made at the suggestion of director Linderman and A. L. Snowden. Most were Snowden's

    RogerB,

    I think they all had a say in what they thought was needed to create a stronger looking eagle for the reverse of the Morgan Dollar. Look a little deeper and maybe you can come up with who said what.

  • DollarAfterDollarDollarAfterDollar Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Were the 7/8 "strong" and 7/8 "weak" just variations in the 50 dies discussed in this letter Roger?

    Asking for a friend who's pretty dumb.

    If you do what you always did, you get what you always got.
  • RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That would be my presumption -- individual variation in die hardness and pressure applied in screw-type hubbing press

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    These file letters are always interesting. Does the mint archive email correspondence now?? If not, it is a loss for future generations exploring history. Cheers, RickO

  • KkathylKkathyl Posts: 3,762 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thank for the info Roger always an interesting read.

    Best place to buy !
    Bronze Associate member

  • logger7logger7 Posts: 8,022 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm curious how the general populace felt about the new coins? Were there many who were upset about the loss of the old Seated coins or those who decried the changes?

  • RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @ricko said:
    These file letters are always interesting. Does the mint archive email correspondence now?? If not, it is a loss for future generations exploring history. Cheers, RickO

    All US government agencies have to comply with the federal records preservation acts. The scale is immense. Avogadro and Loschmidt would love the numbers!

  • Wabbit2313Wabbit2313 Posts: 7,268 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I am Sir,
    Yours obediently
    George Morgan

    :)

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