1901-P Morgan Silver Dollar

To be an independent nation, a country MUST have its own currency.  So, in 1792, Congress called for the establishment of a national mint.  Because Philadelphia was then the nation’s capital, it was built there.

By March of 1793, the fledgling mint, operating under the direction of first Mint Director David Rittenhouse,  had delivered its first circulating coins:  11,178 copper cents.  But as the U.S. economy grew, more and more coins were necessary, which meant larger facilities for the Philadelphia Mint.  The mint expanded accordingly, opening its fourth facility in 1969.

For much of its coining life, Philadelphia coins (Morgans among them) bore no mint mark at all, a symbol of their birth at the “Mother Mint” in Philadelphia.  It was at the Philadelphia Mint where the most famous engravers and sculptors in U.S. history created their masterpieces, including George T. Morgan, creator of the Morgan Silver Dollar.

Today, coin enthusiasts seek out the Morgans created by the Philadelphia Mint for their historical importance as well as their beauty.  Of course, all Morgan silver dollars contain .77344 toz of Pure Silver, right up until the last Morgan was struck in 1921.