Arguably the most popular coin there is among collectors - the Morgan Dollar. Read about how it came to be - HERE
As far as I'm concerned, Morgans are the only way to go, but others' mileage may vary. Julian's was an excellent summary of the birth of the Morgan dollar. I'm still reading Q. David Bowers' The Official RED BOOK of Morgan Silver Dollars which also goes into detail on Morgan's creation. For us Morgan nuts, both are permanent parts of our libraries. Thanks, Doug.
I'm with you MorganFred...I actually have 2 copies of the Morgan Redbook, 1 that I refer to constantly and a 2nd signed copy that sits in a place of honor on my bookshelf . Have you picked up the VAM book yet? Definitely a 'must have' for any Morgan collector whether you're into VAMs or not IMO.
Ditto to the Morgan Redbook. It is the A-Z for Morgan collectors. My favorite story is the 1962 " bank discovery" where some dealer hopped on a plane to Europe and peddled these 1903-O Morgans for a "discount" as the going rate for a BU coin at the time was $1500 (in the 1962 dollars!). After the release, prices fell to $15! Before word got to England, he made a fortune! Only in America...what a country!