Essential Morgan Silver Dollar Collection: 1896 Morgan Silver Dollar

The Morgan Silver Dollar is the most popular of Americas classic coins. Minted from 1878-1904 and again in 1921, it is a huge coin that was the favorite silver coin of the Wild West because of its large size and massive amount of pure silver. The Morgan Silver Dollar is named after its designer, George T. Morgan, who was an engraver with the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. The obverse portrays Lady Liberty wearing a slaves cap (an ancient symbol of freedom) with the word Liberty inscribed on a ribbon. This is the largest silver coin ever made for circulation: it is almost 1-1/2 inches in diameter and it contains over 3/4 ounce of pure silver. The overall silver purity is the standard .900 pure. The reason it is so big is that, by law, it had to contain exactly one dollars worth of silver (the price of silver was fixed at $1.29 an ounce during the era of the Morgan Silver Dollar). This 1896 Morgan Silver Dollar comes mounted on an informational mount along with a certificate of authenticity.