1878 Morgan Silver Dollar: The first year of issue for the Morgan Dollar and was struck at three mints that year Philadelphia, San Francisco and Carson City with several varieties as they were trying to figure out the final design. The 8 Tail Feather variety goes to show how small facts can become stumbling blocks. Apparently, the bald eagle features just seven tail feathers. When designs regarding the Morgan silver Dollars had been created and struck, the eagle on the reverse displayed the correct number of tail feathers - seven . However, for some unknown cause, the actual dies for the first Morgan Dollars had been engraved with an incorrect number of tail feathers - eight, to be exact. Following a substantial number of coins were struck, the error was discovered. By then, it ended up being to late to recall any of the coins which had already been minted, but the remaining 8 Tail Feather dies had been corrected by over-punching them with a 7 Tail Feather hub, resulting in the 7/8 Tail Feathers varieties. The ultimate issues of 1878 were of the anatomically correct 7 Tail Feather variety! The believed number for this variety may be wrong because this variety shows up in the market more frequently than any other of the year, even though other varieties (like the 1878 7 Tail Feathers, Reverse of 1878) have estimated mintages as high as seven times as much . The best examples graded by the Professional Coin Grading Service are a single MS-67, 10 MS-65 Prooflikes, and 1 MS-66 Deep Mirror Prooflikes. The number of known examples is consistent with the estimated mintage. Proofs of this variety are rather scarce- they enjoy the third lowest mintage of the entire series. They also have the third lowest population of Morgan Dollar Proofs graded by PCGS. The finest Proof example graded by PCGS is a single PR-67. 1878 Plain Mintage: Circulation strikes: 10,500,000 Proofs: 750 Designer: George T. Morgan Diameter: 38.1 millimeters Metal Content: Silver - 90% Copper - 10% Weight: 26.73 grams 1878-Carson City SILVER DOLLAR: Circulation strikes: 2,212,000 PCGS MS-67. Ex - Superior Galleries sold for $28,750.00 1878-S Morgan SILVER DOLLAR: Circulation strikes: 9,774,000 Mintmark: "S" (for San Francisco) beneath the bow on the reverse The finest examples graded by PCGS are a single MS-68, 2 MS-68 Prooflikes, and 3 MS-66 Deep Mirror Prooflikes.
