Why do you like the Morgan Dollar?

Gee, took you long enough to realize you were beating a dead horse with a stick for the wrong reasons!

But you know, I sincerely said I felt like you did belittle me. An apology would have been nice but don't bother. I'm not easily offended and try not to take words out of context, especially on a casual forum website.

Let's move on with the discussion, I'll be sure to just keep stories about coins to myself so others don't take them out of context and get their panties all twisted up in the process.

 

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Why do I like morgans? I don't, (well you asked )

I have always thought the design was pretty pedestrian and could have been much better. Look at the early dollars, much prettier design in my eyes. Since 1803 I don't think we ever did a good job with this large beautiful coin. The best since then I would say was the Trade dollar. the coin is just too great an opportunity to be sqaundered on a close up facial portrait in my eyes. Nickels and quarters should have such designs, not halves and silver dollars. Look at what AW did with a half dollar, and just think of what terrific, involved, intraicate designs could fit on a silver dollar if they tried.

Just my opinion of course, I know a lot of morgan collectors will disagree.

Chris

 

Chris,

If everyone liked the same thing, we probably wouldn't be able to afford the common dates.

Chris (too)

 

Rodeoclown, my suggestion to you would be, if you haven't done so already, is pick up Bowers' Guide Book to Morgan Dollars as it is considered by many to be the best historical of the Morgan dollars.

As Chris has pointed out, there were numerous years the Morgans were struck and immediately bagged for storage in the vaults of the Philadelphia Mint, and eventually, the vaults at the Federal Reserve due to the Philadelphia vaults were filled to capacity. The fact that there was a small amount of circulation by your grandfather would only serve as a very small number of Morgans being circulated.

The popularity of the Morgan was in the western territories/states in saloons and gambling houses, and not so popular on eastern side of the country, where greenbacks were more the norm.

 

Extremely true sir. Do you really, though, think the Morgan was a prettier design than the draped bust dollars, or WL halves? I just think with all of that pretty silver real estate we could do better. I see other crowns from around the world and are amazed by their beauty and intricacy. Just off the top of my head I am thinking of Mexican "Cabillaro" types from the teens.

Anyway, I promise to never buy any more morgans, (I have a couple hundred), if everyone else promises to stay away from my ancient coins.

Deal? :devil:

Chris

 

Did you read anything I said in all of my posts? I didn't dispute anything Chris or anyone else said regarding the circulation numbers of Morgan's. I simply told a story. Can we move on with the topic already? We don't need to hit the dead horse again, it's still dead!

 

Other than the pedestrian design, aren't the vast variety of toning examples interesting? I don't see anything like that, in similar numbers, from dimes, Qs, 1/2s, or other US silver dollars.

 

I've read everything you stated in your posts, and the replies to your posts.

 

I only like Morgans because they're silver. A fat chick on the front and a scrawny eagle on the back was a bad idea. I am however a huge fan of Peace dollars.

 

Come on guys, lets just put it away, on the internet they are all the same size, and lets just hate on the ugliness that is Morgan silver dollars, ok?

I kid, I kid, let's all just make fun of all of the stamp collectors.

 

Well, when a large portion of them sat in bags or vaults, undisturbed, it's really not that interesting to me, especially the rainbow toned dollars. I highly dislike rainbow toned coins, sure they fetch premiums but I think they make the coin look ugly. If I want to collect rainbows, I'll buy Carebear toys..

 

Shoot, the only stamp collector I've known was the eye doctor my mom worked for back in the 80's. I can't recall which stamp he had, I think it was a Jewish stamp (he was Jewish), but there was only like 2 or 3 known to exist in the world. Seeing it up close was cool as a kid, seeing his armed guard carry it off to protect it was even cooler. He wouldn't ever tell us the value he had it appraised at but my mom mentioned she overheard him talking once and it was close or over a 7 figure number in value. That type of collector, no way I'm gonna make fun of, especially if they have one stamp that is worth more than anything and everything I own.

 

It was generally known that there was no love lost between Chief Engraver Barber and his subordinate, Morgan, and the competition between them for providing design specimens for the new silver dollar widened the rift when Morgan's design was chosen over Barber's. I don't know if you've ever seen photos of Barber's final design, but it was downright ugly.

No, I didn't say that I thought it was a beautiful coin, but I do love most of the allegorical designs (including those you mentioned) because they are, in my opinion, thought-provoking and far superior to dead presidents (and emperors!). You don't have to worry, Chris, I don't collect ancients.

Chris

 

if you have a couple of hundred,it could be you are just sick of them. I don't love Morgans and I don't hate them.

I got burnt out on ASE'S . I had every year with OGP and graded. but got so burnt out i sold them all,but then the 25th eagle set came out I had to buy a few sets and i love them. but I'm not collecting all the years.

my point is that one day you could love a certain coin,then hate it , then love it again. most people don't want to collect the exact coin over over. you find the one you want and move on. but some times we come back to that certain coin. at-least thats the way it is for me.

 

We agree of course. Heck, as little as I care for morgan dollar design, I would vote today to replace every dead president on our coinage with it tomorrow. When they wanted to put George Washington's portrait on coinage he refused, saying it would be too much like having a king on coinage, which is exactly why we rebelled. Well today it feels like we have perpetual dead kings on our coinage.

Chris

 

I like coins. all coins.

 

Yeah, I'd rather go back to Liberty Heads or some other non-President on our coins myself. Or at least people of other importance (that actually did something that helped humanity or did good in the world), like the Susan B. Anthony to me wasn't a bad idea.

 

Fair point usually, except I never really have bought a morgan on purpose, most coming in group lots of coins, or cheap bargains and bought for silver content. If I were at an auction and they were going for less than $5 a coin I bought them on principle, (yeah, silver used to be that cheap). So I have 10 rolls or more, but never look at them ever, they are just part of my silver stash.

For other coins what you say is completely true. I rotate through coin series a lot, collecting Byzantine follis for a few months, then Sassanid drachms, then Himyarite, then late Roman, then back to Byzantine.

 

I haven't got into ancients much. but I intend to. I'm starting to get into colonial and world coins. I'm starting with some spanish eight, and some gold escudos. and maybe some Thaler