Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States - A Complete Encyclopedia
Q. David Bowers
1890-CC Morgan: Market Values
1890-CC Morgan: Summary of Characteristics
Business Strikes:
Enabling legislation: As earlier, plus Act of February 28, 1878 and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of July 14, 1890
Designer: George T. Morgan
Weight and composition: 412.5 grains; .900 silver, . 100 copper
Melt-down (silver value) in year minted: $0.80927
Dies prepared: Obverse: 15 or more (?); Reverse: 16. Business strike mintage: 2,309,041 (2,053,041 under the Act of February 28, 1878 and 256,000 under the 1890 Sherman Silver Purchase Act); Delivery figures by month: January: 150,000; February: 188,000; March: 200,000; April: 200,000; May: 150,000; June: 200,000; July: 200,000; August: 200,000; September: 200,000; October: 200,000; November:(Coinage January-October under the 1878 Bland-Allison Act as are the first figures for November and December. Second figures for November and December are for coins struck under the 1890 Sherman Silver Purchase Act. These cannot be distinguished.)96,000 + 80,000; December: 69,041 + 176,000.
Specimens sent to the Assay Commission: 1,155
Estimated quantity melted: Probably over 1,000,000 under the 1918 Pittman Act.
Approximate population MS-65 or better: 1,000 to 2,000 (URS-12)
Approximate population MS-64: 3,000 to 5,000 (URS-13)
Approximate population MS-63: 10,000 to 20,000 (URS-15)
Approximate population MS-60 to 62: 20,000 to 50,000 (URS-16)
Approximate population G-4 to AU-58: 80,000 to 160,000 (URS-18)
Availability of prooflike coins: A high percentage of Mint State coins are prooflike, usually DMPL, but nearly all are in lower grades, with bagmarks . Only 2% to 3% of DMPL specimens are MS-65 or finer.
Characteristics of striking: Usually seen well struck. Known hoards of Mint State coins: Many bags were released (from storage in the Treasury Building, Washington) from the 1930s through the 1950s, and some were paid out in the 1950s from storage in the San Francisco Mint. In addition, 3,949 were held back from the 1962-1964 Treasury release and subsequently sold by the General Services Administration.
Proofs:
None
Commentary
The 1890-CC is somewhat scarce in Mint State, in comparison to the typical Carson City dollar of the early 1880s.
Additional Information
Silver Dollar Distribution
The Annual Report of the Director of the Mint, 1890, gave thefollowing information concerning distribution of silver dollars in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1890 in the Carson City
Mint: July 1, 1889, 2,764, coined during the fiscal year 1,438,000, total available for distribution 1,440,764. In the Carson City Mint June 30, 1890, 1,270,233, distributed 170,531.