1880 Morgan Dollar

The 1880 Morgan Dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1880 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. 12,600,000
 * Proof Mintage: est. 1,355

Background
The Morgan Dollar had already been coined by the millions when the 1880 Morgan Dollar arrived. With a mintage of over 12 million, the public in 1880 was not looking at this large coin as a collectable. The 1880 was minted in large numbers from many dies (see Die Varieties) and is still readily available.

Collecting
The strike and quality of these coins is generally good with some faint lightness in the hair strands of Miss Liberty found in some examples. Collectors seek out lustrous examples in this year while avoiding those struck from worn dies.

Prooflike coins for this year do exist though most are struck on only one side of the coin. They can be rare so some patience is required.

Historical Background in 1880
On February 2nd, 1880, the first electric streetlight is installed in Wabash, Indiana. A street light, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or walkway, which is turned on or lit at a certain time every night. Modern lamps may also have light-sensitive photocells to turn them on at dusk, off at dawn, or activate automatically in dark weather. In older lighting this function would have been performed with the aid of a solar dial. It is not uncommon for street lights to be on posts which have wires strung between them, such as on telephone poles or utility poles.

On May 13, 1880, in Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway. A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world. Railway electrification has many advantages but requires significant capital expenditure for installation.

On June 29, 1880, France annexes Tahiti. Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous with surrounding coral reefs. The population is 178,133 (2007 census), making it the most populous island of French Polynesia and accounting for 68.6% of the group's total population. Tahiti was formerly known as Otaheite.