I AM A COIN WHICH ONE ? CLUE 1. I am the last one of my "type" to be authorized by Congress. Have you made a guess yet? CLUE 2. I was struck at a branch mint that no longer strikes coins. Got any idea? CLUE 3. I have a 38.1mm diameter. Well? CLUE 4. I weigh 26.73 grams. Think you know? CLUE 5. I have a reeded edge. Got it? Here's another clue: My actual silver weight is .77344 ounces. If you haven't got it yet, I'm dissapointed. Click here to see me: http://www.coinpage.com/large.php?tImageId=1565 I AM A 1904-O MORGAN DOLLAR 1921 Morgan Dollars were struck at Denver and Philadelphia, but weren't authorized by Congress, thus making the 1904 issues the last Morgan silver dollars struck by the Mint. Clinker
Aiden: The 1921 dollars were struck to replace the silver that was melted during WW I for the war effort. The Pittman Act required the melting of 350,000,000 dollars in order to sell the silver to England. Actually, 259,121,554 were melted for this purpose plus another 11 milion for conversion into minor silver coinage. Pressure from the silver lobby included a clause in the act that required the replacement of the silver dollars. In 1921 over 86 million dollars were minted (frm all three mints) since the new dies (for the Peace dollars) were not yet ready. So, yes and no, perhaps they were not directly authorized by Congress, but indirectly they were required to be made.
to Aiden Work Congress suspended coinage of the silver dollar affter 1904 because demand for it waned and the government's supply of silver was exhausted. The Pittman Act dealt with the bullion volume of silver and not the intrinsic nor the face values of the coins. If it were not for melting silver dollars there would not have been any silver dollars minted in 1921, authorized or not. Treashunt gave a very difinitive answer. Remember, the Peace dollars were not authorized by Congress either. The Peace Dollar was to be a commerative in the intentions of the director. Because of the Pittman Act the 21 Morgan Dollars and Peace Dollars could just as well as been silver half dollars or any other silver coin. It was the mint director's decision to mint dollars. Clinker
