How did morgans become...

TheLiberator

...the hugely popular series they are today? A quick glance on heritage shows they have over 900 Morgans for auction! I have also heard them described as the "backbone of the coin industry." Can anyone shed some light on this? Were there just THAT MANY minted or something? Is it the design? The size? Metal content? Enlighten me!

tjkillian

They are popular for many reasons including: 90% silver, from the old west, readily available, used for many years, affordable (depending on grade), used to back silver certificates, and large.

Tom

haletj

Readily available and heavily promoted are the keys. You can't promote something you don't have a lot of.

Donovan

The great treasury release of 1962-64.

DennisH

Bingo. That and the GSA Carson City sales of the early-70s.

jmcu12

And I think they are one of the most attractive of all coins.

Most people will say that they love Walkers, or Indian Head whatever, or a St. Gaudens gold. I personally don't like these at all. I think they are overdone and not attractive. And who thought of the Peace design.....horrible.

JMO.

TheLiberator

<< <i>The great treasury release of 1962-64. >>



I have heard mention of this before. What heppened? The treasury just opened up a bunch of old vaults/mintbags? Did the coins then circulate or did they go immeadiately to collectors?

cladking

<< <i>The great treasury release of 1962-64. >>



This made it possible and did get a lot of people started collecting them. But it was later
in the late '70's that they really started going bonkers. This was fueled by the rush to sil-
ver and rising prices for silver. In 1977 you could still buy unc Morgans for less than $4.
These would normally be common date but there would be a wide assortment of dates
available. Gems were often still found mixed in with the lower grade coins. Most of the
silver dollar releases from the mint weren't much picked over. Even if a dealer recognized
that his coin was a gem or fantastically toned he might want only a 20% premium for it.
People have always liked big silver coins so large numbers got involved and higher grades
recieved increasing attention. When the silver market tanked there were still a lot of peo-
ple who were collecting the Morgans.

The coins were available in circulation in the early '60's and there were a few people who
were interested in them, but it was the late '70's that they really came into their own.

Donovan

Liberator, for the love of Pete, please change that disturbing icon.

Wondo

They are beautiful, they are plentiful and they are cheap!

TheLiberator

<< <i>Liberator, for the love of Pete, please change that disturbing icon. >>



Awww shucks...I love my little lady...man...um...person....

She...um..he..um..IT is here to stay!!!!

ddink

I read a cool story once; when the released a whole bunch of the Morgans in the 60s, a few collectors went to banks and bought a lot of them. One guy bought FIVE mint bags full of Morgans and found that they were all the key date in the series. Imagine finding 5 mint state backs of 1909-S VDB cents! Naturally, that date is no longer the key!

dizzlecc

It's probably a combination of affordability, size and a ready market.

Although a set price is elusive to determine, you know the ball park of what a coin is worth. Gold moves too much.

aem4162

to me, morgans are the most beautiful coins made

SDCollector

And the reference books continue the Morgan popularity. Bowers has written a couple and just released a new book. The Van Allen book is a masterpiece, IMO. Top 100 VAM's are fueling new interest in Morgans. Nearly all grades are attractive (especially nicely circulated examples). It's the series that just keeps on giving

nwcs

I would say, in addition to what's already been written, that size, quantity and condition are three major factors. It's a big coin. And many are available in extraordinary condition. Some are even beautifully toned. Some are beautifully blast white. And most are affordable in gem even to the not so rich among us.

Dennis88

They are just

Dennis

Cam40

They are plentiful as all getout.
They minted way more than were ever circulated.
I saw an auction on EBay once where the seller stated `better buy these up fast before they,re all gone`

LMAO!!!!

291fifth

Just about everything mentioned in this thread is accurate. What hasn't been mentioned is that, prior to the big 1962-3 treasury release Morgans were not particularly popular with collectors. The release of so many formerly scarce dates changed collectors perception of the series.

BAJJERFAN

Thats one nice thing about the Morgans; its possible to get a complete set even for a modest collector.

BillJones

Morgan dollars are big, heavy and impressive looking. Many dates are also easy to find and cheap in Mint State condition. Beyond that the series is long, and there are enough hard to find dates and varieties to keep the advanced collector happy.

For those reasons Morgan dollars appeal to many collectors at most all levels of expertise.

Russellp23

Liberator, for the love of Pete, please change that disturbing icon.


I wanted to say the same thing, that icon is horrendous and very distrurbing to look at. So for the love of Pete, PLEASE!

Cladiator

<< <i>And who thought of the Peace design.....horrible >>



IMHO - The Peace Dollar is the most beautiful US coin ever made

Baley

Liberator, for the love of Pete, please change that disturbing icon.

paigowjohnny

Liberator...I recommend getting your hands on a copy of the new Morgan Dollar Red Book by Q. David Bowers. A real interesting read which gives a lot of history and background about why Morgans exist and why they've become such a collecting staple...

Russellp23

<< <i>Liberator...I recommend getting your hands on a copy of the new Morgan Dollar Red Book by Q. David Bowers. A real interesting read which gives a lot of history and background about why Morgans exist and why they've become such a collecting staple... >>



While your reading, please look for another icon.

Myqqy

I think liberator's icon is pretty swell!! And as far as the morgans go- I feel like there is something almost classical and greek about the obverse design- and it is nice to acqure nice mint state examples at reasonable prices!

Myqqy

Despite the beauty of liberator's icon, I think that nobody beats the board member who has the roll of toilet paper as their icon. That rules...

Kriek

<< <i>I think they are one of the most attractive of all coins. >>



Bingo.

TheLiberator

<< <i>Liberator...I recommend getting your hands on a copy of the new Morgan Dollar Red Book by Q. David Bowers. A real interesting read which gives a lot of history and background about why Morgans exist and why they've become such a collecting staple... >>



Excelent! Thanks for the info!! Its interesting...I just haven't developed a taste for them yet. I find that for one reason or another a series will attract my eye and I will slowly learn more about and then I end up trying to buy some key dates and such. I guess for me, ever since I started collecting as a teenager, every coin shop always had a TON of these things and for me they just seemed too common to be "rare coins." I know that is completely untrue and that there are some amazing common and rare morgans out there and a ton of interesting varieties but maybe I just need to learn a bit more about em' and I'll have been bitten by the Morgan bug too!

Thanks for all the helpful info guys, I appreciate it!

p.s. To those who wish me to have plastic surgery on my Icon...don't hate me because I am beautiful!! Everyone is just jealous because my icon is such a ladies man...er..mans's lady .....um.....

Aethelred

<< <i>Thats one nice thing about the Morgans; its possible to get a complete set even for a modest collector. >>



1895?

BAJJERFAN

Well I guess I should a sed that I wasn't including the 1895 and many don't consider it as necessary for a full set because it was issued in proof only UNLESS someone comes up with the MISSING 12,000.