The 1878 Seven Over Eight Tail Feather Morgan Silver Dollar: A Prize for Any Collection!
Since the cessation in production of the Seated Liberty Dollar in 1873, due to the Mint Act, the spectacular Morgan Silver Dollars, minted in 1878, were the first dollars issued for American commercial use. The Trade Dollar was minted during this time, but was earmarked solely for trade in the Orient. Morgan Dollars were struck from 1878 through 1904 and then debuted one last time in 1921. Five United States Mints produced Morgans from 1878-1921: Philadelphia, San Francisco, Carson City, New Orleans and Denver. These striking Morgan Silver Dollars were so named after their designer, George T. Morgan, the assistant engraver at the Philadelphia Mint.
Anna Willess Williams, an art student and schoolteacher, was the model for Miss Liberty on the obverse of the coin. Morgan later said that she had an almost perfect profile. The American Bald Eagle, on the reverse of the Morgan Dollar, was a matter of contention, however. On all previous United States coins, the eagle had an uneven number of tail feathers, but George Morgan’s eagle had eight! Due to heavy insistence from the public, the United States Mint made the decision to change the number of tail feathers from eight to seven.
The main mint in Philadelphia was responsible for the preparation of the obverse and the reverse dies, replacing them as needed. When the problem arose with the tail feather debacle, the Philadelphia Mint personnel collected all the unused eight-feather dies and just re-struck them with the corrected design of seven tail feathers, so there would not be a monetary waste of material. This caused a super-imposed design, known as the seven over eight tail feathers variation. On some of these variations, the eight tail feathers are almost imperceptible, which are called “weak 7/8 tail feathers”. On others, the variation is easily seen and these are known as “strong 7/8 tail feathers”, which are a bit more common.
Later on, brand new dies were engraved with the seven feather design at the Philadelphia Mint. So, in 1878, there were now three different variations of the incomparable Morgan Dollars: the eight tail feather, the seven over eight tail feather and the seven tail feather. None of these coins had a mint mark because they were produced in Philadelphia. These stunning Morgans have a silver content of 90%, with copper making up the remaining 10% for durability. Being large and heavy, it isn’t any wonder why they are nicknamed, “King of America’s Coins”. The gorgeous Morgan Silver Dollars are one of the most renowned and desired United States coins. The unique variation of the seven over eight tail feather Morgans should be a treasured acquisition for any avid collector or investor. Buy this stunning coin at GovMint.com Click here!
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