Numismatic

1878-S Morgan Dollar MS-63 NGC

---

The year 1878 marked a major turning point in American coinage with the introduction of the Morgan Dollar. This specific silver coin, minted in San Francisco, represents the very first year of the iconic series. Its creation was prompted by the Bland-Allison Act, a piece of legislation that required the United States Treasury to purchase large quantities of silver and strike them into circulating dollars. On the obverse side, the profile of Lady Liberty faces left, wearing a crown inscribed with her name. The reverse features a powerful heraldic eagle with its wings spread wide, holding arrows and an olive branch in its talons. This particular specimen has been graded Mint State 63 (MS-63), indicating a well-preserved piece that retains its original mint luster and sharp details. Struck from 0.900 fine silver, this dollar contains exactly 0.7734 troy ounces of precious metal. With a total weight of 26.73 grams, a diameter of 38.1 mm, and a thickness of 3.1 mm, it is a substantial coin that showcases the classic craftsmanship of the San Francisco Mint, which produced 9,774,000 of these silver dollars in 1878.