1882-S Morgan Dollar

The 1882-S Morgan Dollar was struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1882 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. 9,250,000

Background
The San Francisco Mint continues to strike large numbers of Morgan Dollars in 1882 with 9,250,000 mintage for the year. The San Francisco Mint strikes the second largest amount for the year with 11,100,000 from the Philadelphia Mint, 1,133,000 from the Carson City Mint and 6,090,000 from the New Orleans Mint.

Collecting
Most examples of this coin in the marketplace are fairly attractive. Most are well-struck and show great detail. Luster is usually above average. The 1882-S can be obtained up to MS-66 with reasonable effort with higher grades requiring some searching.

Prooflike pieces exist but most with prooflike characteristics visible on only one side of the coin. These examples are highly collectable.

Historical Background in 1882
On November 14, Franklin Leslie shoots Billy Claiborne dead in the streets of Tombstone, Arizona. William F. Claiborne (October 21, 1860 – November 14, 1882), was an American outlaw and gunfighter in the American Old West who was one of the survivors of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

September 18, the Great Comet of 1882: Her Majesty's Astronomer at the Cape, David Gill, reported watching the comet rise a few minutes before the Sun and described it as "The nucleus was then undoubtedly single, and certainly rather under than over 4″ in diameter; in fact, as I have described it, it resembled very much a star of the 1st magnitude seen by daylight."

On February 3rd, 1882, P. T. Barnum purchases the elephant Jumbo. Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, scam artist and entertainer, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.