1886-O Morgan Dollar

The 1886-O Morgan Dollar was struck at the New Orleans Mint in 1886 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. 10,710,000

Background
The New Orleans Mint would continue to mint large numbers of Morgan Dollars in 1886. A total of 10,710,00 would be churned out that year.

Collecting
The 1886-O Morgan Dollar is exceedingly available to AU-50 today and rare from MS60. The strike on these coins varies from weak to sharp. Look for weakness around the hair of Miss Liberty and the feathers on the eagle's breast. Mint State coins are not very common for this coin so some searching is warranted.

Prooflike coins for the 1886-O exist but are rare. Most will be prooflike on one side of the coin only. DMPL coins also exist and are sought-after by collectors if they have good eye appeal.

Historical Background in 1886
On May 4, 1886, Emil Berliner starts work that leads to the invention of the gramophone. The phonograph, record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing (playing) sound recordings; although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds. The recordings played on such a device generally consist of wavy lines that are either scratched, engraved, or grooved onto a rotating cylinder or disc. As the cylinder or disc rotates, a stylus or needle traces the wavy lines and vibrates to reproduce the recorded sound waves.

On July 3, 1886, Karl Benz officially unveils the Benz Patent Motorwagen. The Benz Patent-Motorwagen (or motorcar), built in 1886, is widely regarded as the first automobile, that is, a vehicle designed to be propelled by a motor.

On July 23, 1886, Steve Brodie fakes a jump from the Brooklyn Bridge. Steve Brodie was an American from New York City who claimed to have jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and survived on July 23, 1886. The resulting publicity from the supposed jump, whose veracity was disputed, gave Brodie publicity, a thriving saloon and a career as an actor.