1881-O Morgan Dollar

The 1881-O Morgan Dollar was struck at the New Orleans Mint in 1881 and is part of the Morgan Dollar series.

Specifications

 * Designer: George T. Morgan
 * Obverse Design: Lady Liberty
 * Reverse Design: Eagle holding arrows and olive branch
 * Edge: Reeded
 * Weight: 26.73 grams
 * Diameter: 38.1 millimeters
 * Composition: Silver (90%), Copper (10%)
 * Mintage: Circulation Strikes: est. 5,708,000

Background
Large numbers of 1880-O Morgan Dollars were released in and near the year of coinage. The glut of coins in 1880 created an environment unlike today. The public was not enamored with this well-supplied coin.

Collecting
Prices for the 1881-O are reasonable and accessible to MS-64. The luster on these coins tends to be muted due to the long use of the dies. The strikes are usually sharp. Separate those coins from the worn-out dies and search for a frosty, attractive luster. These coins are available to the patient collector.

Prooflike 1881-Os exist with one side or both affected but many have little or dull contrast. Prooflike examples should be secondary to bag marks found on coins, which are numerous.

Historical Background in 1881
On July 14, 1881, Billy the Kid is shot and killed by Pat Garrett outside Fort Sumner. William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier outlaw in the West. According to legend, he killed 21 men, but he is generally accepted to have killed between four and nine.

On May 21, 1881, the United States Tennis Association is established by a small group of tennis club members. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels. The association was created to standardize rules and regulations and to promote and develop the growth of tennis in the United States.

On May 21, 1881, the American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton. The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S. affiliate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Die Varieties
Numerous die varieties exist but none are significant.