Numismatic

1896-S Morgan Dollar BU

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The 1896 Morgan silver dollar represents a classic era of American coinage, minted at the San Francisco facility during a time when silver dollars circulated widely across the expanding nation. This particular specimen survives in brilliant uncirculated condition, preserving the crisp details of its original strike just as it appeared when leaving the coining press over a century ago. On the obverse, the profile of Liberty faces left, adorned with a Phrygian cap that bears the word "Liberty" upon her hair band. This iconic portrait is encircled by the traditional Latin motto "E Pluribus Unum," thirteen stars representing the original colonies, and the 1896 date of issue. The reverse displays a powerful bald eagle with its wings spread, clasping an olive branch of peace and a bundle of arrows. Surrounding the national bird are the inscriptions "United States of America," the denomination "One Dollar," and the motto "In God We Trust." Struck with a silver purity of 0.900, each of these historic coins contains 0.7734 troy ounces of precious metal. The tiny "S" mint mark on the reverse denotes its origin at the San Francisco Mint, which produced five million of these dollars in 1896. As a design that circulated for approximately 80 years, the Morgan dollar remains one of the most widely recognized and celebrated pieces of American numismatic history.