Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States - A Complete Encyclopedia
Q. David Bowers
1878 7/Other Tail Feathers
(1878 7/8 TF) MORGAN DOLLAR
Coinage Context
A design change: For reasonns not completely understood today, a number of reverse working dies, quite possibly not yet submitted to the final hardening process, were overpunched with the 7 tail feathers hub. While it has stated in many places that these undertype dies were of the 8 tail feathers design, I suggest that they were not. My suggestion is based upon these factors:
• The 8 tail feathers design differed in topological features other than the number of tail feathers. The position of the eagle in relation to the motto, the branch in relation to the eagle, etc., were all different on the 8 tail feathers as opposed to the 7 tail feathers. Over a dozen of these differences are delineated in Van Allen and Mallis, 3rd edition, pp. 101 and 102. I suggest that if the matter was as simple as punching a 7 tail feathers hub over an 8 tail feathers working die, there would be many "over" features, not just tail feathers.
• So far as I know, the number of under tail feathers is not eight in any event. The number varies, but is no more than seven in any instance (cf. VAM, p. 142). At best, the variety could be called "7 tail feathers over 7 tail feathers," which gains us little, or "7 tail feathers over other tail feathers, from 1 to 7," etc.
I believe that dies were made in haste, and without a specifically agreed upon standard, so far as details were concerned. Van Allen and Mallis give extensive details (pp. 84-86), as does R.W. Julian in the present book, that everything was in a rush. Eagles were of slightly different sizes, as were head details on the obverse, etc. While exact procedures are not known, it may be that the reverse dies were ground down to remove most features. The dies were then rehubbed. Certain central features such as tail feathers appeared as a combination of new and old hubs. Thus the "7 over other tail feathers" varieties were created.
As the number of tail feathers seen beneath the new 7 TF eagle varies, this indicates that either the registration of the eagle punch was not always perfect, or that more than one style of eagle was used on the undertype, or both. It could be that some of Morgan's undertypes conform to his earlier pattern dies (which all had seven tail feathers, but which differed in other aspects). There is absolutely no indication that the undertype eagles had eight tail feathers. Probably, most or all had seven.
Numismatic Information
Commentary: As noted, many working dies, possibly not yet hardened, were on hand in 1878 when Hoard coins: So far as I know, 1878 7/0ther TF dollars were primarily issued mixed' with the new 7 TF dollars and, to a lesser extent, with the older 8 TF pieces, Thus, there never was any such thing as an original mint-sealed bag of 7/0ther TF coins. As this variety was neither widely known nor widely collected until the 1960s (although scattered listings appeared in the 1950s), there is no numismatic documentation of Treasury releases. In the early Hmos, when bags of 1878 7 if dollars were issued, some of these contained 7/0ther TF coins. In April 1964, Charles ("Shotgun") Slade suggested that the "1878 7/8 TF" was four to five times scarcer than the 1878 8 TF, based upon his knowledge of coins ecently released by the Treasury.
Mint State grades: Most Mint State coins are at lower levels such as MS-60 through 62 (40,000 to 60,000 estimated to survive) and MS-63 (30,000 to 60,000). MS-64 specimens are elusive (7,500 to 15,000). MS-65 or better coins are rare; much more so than either the 8 TF or 7 TF dollars, and I estimate hat only 500 to 1,000 survive. it was desired to modify the eagle. Van Allen and' Mallis list 13 different reverses with this feature, but others probably exist which haven't been identified. On some varieties the overpunching of the dies is so complete that none of the earlier tail feathers can be seen protruding from beneath the new 7 tail feathers examples include VAM-30 and 45.
By contrast, some coins show as many as six tail feathers and part of a seventh of the old eagle design, isible beneath the new 7 tail feathers.
Wayne Miller wrote the following in his Morgan and Peace Dollar Textbook:
Although a coin may be technically an 1878 7/8 taiI feather dollar with none of the feathers showing underneath, the consensus of most reputable dollar dealers is that four or more tail feathers should show' under the existing 7 tail feather design in order for the coin to be advertised as an 1878 7/8 tail feather dollar.
Van Allen and Mallis said this:
Only those varieties with four to seven tips showing command the price premium of the 7/8 TF, with VAM-41 being the most prominent one .... The 7/8 TF coins are also generally fully struck.
Of course, opinions can and do vary on this subject. Actually, a coin that shows even a single earlier tail feather under the hew seven feathers is an "over ail feathers" variety.
The 7/Other TF dollars in lower Mint State grades are often seen extensively bagmarked. As the 1878-7/ Other TF is not available in Proof grade (unlike the 8 TF and 7 TF issues), it seems to me that a choice MS-65 coin is a piece of exceptional numisatic merit.
Prooflike coins: Prooflike coins are not common and often have gray-brilliant surfaces with very little contrast. Many are one-sided. "Deep cameo pieces do exist but are very rare and are usually VAM-41A with faint tail feather tips," Wayne Miller wrote in 982 ..
I suggest that perhaps 2,000 to 4,000 PLs exist and about half that number of DMPLs. In both categories, nearly all are below MS-65.