Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States - A Complete Encyclopedia
Q. David Bowers
1900-S Morgan: Market Values
1900-S Morgan: Summary of Characteristics
Business Strikes:
Enabling legislation: Act of February 28, 1878, plus 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: $0.47958
Dies prepared: Obverse: 35; Reverse: 35
Business strike mintage: 3,540,000; Delivery figures by month: January: none; February: none; March: 500,000; April: none; May: none; June: none; July: none; August: none; September: 1,000,000; Octo-ber: 1,000,000; November: none; December: 1,040,000.
Estimated quantity melted: 1,000,000 or more under the 1918 Pittman Act; additional coins in later melts .
Approximate population MS-65 or better: 1,250 to 2,500 (URS-12)
Approximate population MS-64: 5,000 to 10,000 (URS-14)
Approximate population MS-63: 10,000 to 18,000 (URS-15)
Approximate population MS-60 to 62: 20,000 to 30,000 (URS-16)
Approximate population G-4 to AU-58: 125,000 to 250,000 (URS-19)
Availability of prooflike coins: Readily available, but demand is low as most have unsatisfactory surfaces. DMPL coins are rare.
Characteristics of striking: Varies widely, from flat to sharp.
Known hoards of Mint State coins: Many bags were distributed by the Treasury from the early 1940s through the early 1960s.
Proofs:
None
Commentary
Two distinctly different reverse hubs were em-ployed in making dies this year, called C-3 (old style) and C-4 (new) by Van Allen and Mallis. At least one 1900-S die was made from both punches, C-4/C-3
Additional Information
Distribution of Dollars
Annual Report of the Director of the Mint, 1900, gave details of coinage and distribution during the fiscal year: San Francisco: In mint, July 1, 1899, 51,962,686; coinage fiscal year 1900, 546,000; total, 52,508,686; in mint July 1, 1900, 51,775,509; total, 51,775,509; distributed from mint, 733,177.