Morgan Silver Dollars
1894-1898
United States of America
George T. Morgan, formerly a pupil of William Wyon in the Royal Mint in London, designed the new dollar. His initial M is found at the truncation of the neck, at the last tress [i.e., the long lock or ringlet of hair]. It also appears on the reverse on the left-hand loop of the ribbon. Coinage of the silver dollar was suspended after 1904, when demand was low and the bullion supply became exhausted. Under provisions of the Pittman Act of 1918, 270,232,722 silver dollars were melted, and later, in 1921, coinage of the silver dollar was resumed. The Morgan design, with some slight refinements, was employed until the new Peace design was adopted later in that year . . . Sharply struck, prooflike coins have highly reflective surfaces and are very scarce, usually commanding substantial premiums. -- Red Book (2008)
