For many numismatists, a set of Morgan silver dollars is a must-have in their collection – and it is one of the most collectible coin series ever produced by the U.S. Mint.
Within this series, Morgan silver dollars minted at the legendary Carson City Mint in Nevada are highly sought after. And there are only 13 coins in the Carson City Morgan dollar series. The exciting news? Building a set of Carson City Morgan dollars is an achievable goal for most collectors.
History Behind the Carson City Mint
Why are Morgan dollars bearing the famous “CC” mintmark so desirable? This famous Western currency only functioned for 21 years of the Wild West's remarkable history. Here's how it all started…
In 1857, a miner named Henry Comstock claimed what became known as the Comstock Lode in Nevada. Prospectors became rich and earned enormous fortunes. News of the silver's discovery spread quickly.
Nearby Carson City, Nevada, growth accelerated as silver quickly flowed out of the mine. The town was founded in 1858 and is named after the iconic pioneer: Kit Carson, trapper, scout and guide. As more people flocked to the region, the need for currency in everyday commerce skyrocketed. The demand for a second currency in the West was strong.
At that time, Nevada was quite isolated from the rest of the country. And transporting the raw precious metal to the San Francisco Mint was a challenge. Railroads had not yet expanded into Nevada, which meant that the only way to deliver gold and silver to San Francisco for processing was by horse or mule train . For many, this was a dangerous proposition in the rough Wild West, due to bandits and thieves on the open roads.
So, just six years after Nevada became a state, the historic Carson City Mint began operations in 1870 to transform the enormous amount of metal mined in the region into much-needed coins.
Carson City Morgan Dollars
The Carson City Mint began producing Morgan dollars in 1878 and struck silver dollars annually until 1885. Then, after a three-year hiatus, the Carson City Mint restarted production in 1889 and continued to produce these coins until the Mint branch closed in 1893. There are a total of 13 issues showcasing the iconic “CC” mintmark.
We list Carson City Morgan dollars with their mintages below.
Description Print
1878-CC 2,212,000
1879-CC 756 000
1880-CC 495,000
1881-CC 296,000
1882-CC 1,133,000
1883-CC 1,204,000
1884-CC 1,136,000
1885-CC 228,000
1889-CC 350,000
1890-CC 2 309 041
1891-CC 1,618,000
1892-CC 1,352,000
1893-CC 677,000
Generally speaking, Carson City Morgans have been minted at low volume. In total, the Carson City Mint produced only 13.7 million Morgan dollars in silver.
To understand how low this number really is, compare it to the number of Morgans minted at the Denver Mint in 1921 alone – a whopping 20.3 million – in just one year!
If you are interested in building a set of Carson City Morgan dollars, know that the key date is 1889-CC. The rarity of this coin comes from its incredibly short lifespan rather than its mintage.
Two other issues stand out in terms of mintage: the 1881-CC and 1885-CC, with low mintages of only 296,000 and 228,000 coins, respectively, which are the two lowest minted in Carson City.
The GSA Treasure
For collectors today, it is still possible to locate these coins as a large percentage have survived in uncirculated condition thanks to the “GSA Hoard”.
In case you're not familiar with this event, in the 1960s the US Treasury discovered bags of over 2.8 million Morgan dollars, over 95% of which were minted in Carson City! In 1970, Congress ordered the Treasury to transfer the coins to the General Services Administration for public sale.
The GSA packaged the Carson City Morgan dollars in hardcover cases that read “CARSON CITY UNCIRCULATED SILVER DOLLAR.” Each piece was sold with a certificate of authenticity indicating:
“This historic piece is a treasured memento from a time in American history when pioneers challenged the West. The silver for this dollar was mined from the rich Comstock vein, discovered in the mountains near Carson City, Nevada.
Today, surviving examples of the GSA Hoard, which are still in their original hardshell cases, are considered the most sought after of all.
George T. Morgan designed the beloved silver dollar
It’s easy to see why the Morgan dollar is popular with numismatists. The large, heavy, almost palm-sized silver dollar is a pleasure to hold in your hand. George T. Morgan, an engraver at the Mint, designed the silver dollar.
The Carson City Morgan dollar features Lady Liberty's head on the obverse. The reverse features a superb eagle. Morgan chose to depict Liberty as an American woman, rather than typical Greek-style figures, and he used natural studies of the bald eagle to inspire his eagle design.
Carson City Morgan silver dollars represent a tantalizing combination of rarity and exciting Wild West history. Are you interested in building a Carson City Morgan silver dollar set? Even if you don't see coins available for sale on our site, Blanchard has extensive reach and relationships within the numismatic community and is often able to source even hard-to-find coins. Call us and get started today!
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