When were "Morgans" first referred to as Morgans?

Comments

• notwilight Posts: 12,864 ✭✭✭

  June 25, 2008 3:08AM

  Good question. I'm wondering if it was the TV ads in the early 60s. --Jerry

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• GoldenEyeNumismatics Posts: 13,187 ✭✭✭

  June 25, 2008 3:18AM

  I think the phrase might actually date back to when the coins were first struck... referred to as the "Morgan type." Not positive though.

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• Placid Posts: 11,299 ✭✭✭

  June 25, 2008 3:29AM

  I prefer the term Buzzard Dollars

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• RYK Posts: 35,800 ✭✭✭✭✭

  June 25, 2008 3:30AM

  My guess would be either "widgets"or "modern crap".
  
  Actually, weren't they just "silver dollars"?

  My Box of 20: https://pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/box-20/ryks-gold-box-20/17132

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• seemyauction Posts: 3,655 ✭

  June 25, 2008 3:46AM

  When they firs hit the streets the collectors called them "Modern Crap"
  
  
  
  
  
  

  CoinZip.com

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• RWB Posts: 8,082 ✭

  June 25, 2008 3:52AM

  The earliest term was "Bland dollars' after the Bland-Allison Act that authorized them. That persisted until about the 1920s when "Liberty dollar" became more common, then into the 1930s when "Morgan dollar" was also used. The silver subsidiary coins designed by Charles Barber were called "Morgan quarters" in the 1930s. Collector usage tended to follow what is given in ads, coins boards/albums and various guide books. See David Lange's book on coin boards.

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• Zoins Posts: 34,401 ✭✭✭✭✭

  June 25, 2008 2:55PM

  This About.com article mentions the terms "Buzzard Dollar," "Cartwheel," and "Liberty Head" Dollar with the former two being called highlighted as popular terms.

  Private Mint News | 2010 Lincoln Reverse Finalists

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• seatedcoins Posts: 1,096 ✭

  June 25, 2008 7:41PM

  I never heard the term "Buzzard Dollar" before or the "Silver Dick" lobby.
  
  
  Thanks for an good educational read.
  
  "The "Silver Dick" Lobby: The Treasury was forced to buy this incredible amount of silver, which was flowing out of the Comstock Lode in Nevada, because of a group of silver mine owners who had formed a lobbying group. Led by Congressman Richard "Silver Dick" Bland, the silver lobby was able to pass legislation that made the U.S. Treasury its biggest customer.
  
  Of course, the Treasury had to do something with all this silver, so it had the Mint produce the Liberty Head, aka Morgan, Silver Dollars."

  Trustworthy BST sellers: cucamongacoin

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• RWB Posts: 8,082 ✭

  June 25, 2008 9:10PM

  The cited article should be read with circumspection – it contains quite a few commonly-repeated errors. For example, the Comstock lode silver was largely played out by 1878. Most US silver was a byproduct (waste) of other mineral mining. Production of silver dollars was part of the “silver lobby” plan beginning in 1874 and not an afterthought as the article implies. There are several others, but readers can find them for themselves.

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• dorkkarl Posts: 12,691 ✭✭✭

  June 26, 2008 4:59AM

  
  
  << <i>When were "Morgans" first referred to as Morgans? >>
  
  i would of guessed 1878
  
  K S

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• CaptHenway Posts: 32,818 ✭✭✭✭✭

  June 26, 2008 5:07AM

  Just as a speculation, perhaps they needed a name when the Peace dollars came out and collectors needed a way to refer to one vs. the other.
  Just a WAG.
  TD

  Numismatist. 50 year member ANA. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner numerous NLG Literary Awards.

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• RWB Posts: 8,082 ✭

  June 26, 2008 5:44AM

  Interestingly, mint employees usually called the Peace dollar a "Pittman" dollar, for the act authorizing purchase of the bullion. A lot of internal mint documents refer to silver dollars by the act authorizing the bullion purchase: Bland dollars, Sherman dollars, etc. I recall at one point in 1902 there being 5 different sources that were used for dollar coin bullion, and each had to be accounted for in weekly reports.

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