1879 Morgan Dollar

The 1879 Morgan Dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1879 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. 14,806,000
 * Proof Mintage: est. 1,100

Background
Morgan dollars would be produced in large numbers at all four mints in 1879 with over 14 million coined at the Philadelphia Mint alone. Philadelphia Mint morgan dollars are the most readily available of all the mints. The Philadelphia Mint would strike the most Morgan dollars in 1879, with only 756,000 being produced at the Carson City Mint, 2,887,000 at the New Orleans Mint, and 8,700,000 at the San Francisco Mint.

Collecting
The 1879 is plentiful to MS-64 and rare at MS-67. Mint state coins are readily available but quality runs the gamut. Most examples are fairly-well struck with some lightness in the center details due to a conservation of silver during this period. This is typical of all Morgan Dollars from this point forward so should not be taken as a detraction for the 1879 itself.

Many of the dies (see Die Varieties) were used for long periods of time. Some coins of this year can appear grainy for this reason and a collector should separate later strikes for wear.

Prooflike coins do exist for the 1879 Morgan Dollar. Many of the examples are one-sided and sought-after by collectors. Prooflike examples can be scarce so patience is needed.

Historical Background in 1879
On January 1st, 1879, the Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The Greenback is valued the same as gold for the first time since the Civil War. The term greenback refers to paper currency that was issued by the United States during the American Civil War. There are at least two types of notes that were called greenback: the United States Note and the Demand Note.

On January 11th, The Anglo-Zulu War begins. The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the imperialist scheme by which Lord Carnarvon had successfully brought about federation in Canada, it was thought that a similar plan might succeed with the various African kingdoms, tribal areas and Boer republics in South Africa. In 1874, Sir Henry Bartle Frere was sent to South Africa as High Commissioner for the British Empire to bring the scheme into being.

On February 12, 1879, at New York City's Madison Square Garden, the first artificial ice rink in North America opens. Madison Square Garden was an arena in New York City located at East 26th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan. The first venue to use that name, it had a seating capacity of 10,000 spectators. It operated from 1879 to 1890, when it was replaced with a new building on the same site.

Die Varieties
129 obverse dies and 86 reverse dies were made for the 1879 Morgan Dollar. There are many minor die variations for the specialist collector.