Collectors Guide to Morgan Silver Dollars - Littleton Coin Company

The Mint at Carson Citywas nothing less than afortress, with walls fourfeet thick. The “CC”Morgan silver dollarsare real collectorfavorites because of thehistory of the CarsonCity Mint and theoutstanding quality ofthe coins it produced.Today, the Mintbuilding is a museumthat takes visitors backto the exciting times ofthe Comstock Lode.The concrete foundation extended seven feetbelow the basement floor and the sandstone walls were four feet thick!When the Carson City Mint opened in 1869, general contractor Currywent on to become its first superintendent.During the years it operated, the Carson City Mint struck 13 differentdates of outstanding quality Morgan silver dollars. Its colorful and excitingera ended in 1893, when the Comstock Lode began to give out. Yet, thefrontier Mint was not finished creating interest in the world of numismatics.Seventy years later, in 1963, nearly 3,000 bags of silver dollars – mostof them from the Carson City Mint – were found in the vaults of the mainTreasury building in Washington, D.C. The final tally was over 2.8 million“CC” Morgan silver dollars!Marketing the coins was the responsibility of the General ServicesAdministration. The GSA conducted five separate sales, beginning in 1972,and made the “CC” Morgan silver dollars available to collectors.Today, the Carson City Mint is a museum, opening its doors to half amillion visitors each year. Exhibits change from time to time, but the mostpopular and permanent displayis a reconstruction of a silver mine leading intothe building’s basement. Visitors are transportedback to the excitement of the Comstock Lodeand the years when the first Carson CityMorgan silver dollars were minted!The “CC” Morgan dollars were taken out oftheir sealed Mint bags and checked to make surethey were all Uncirculated. Any that weren’t wereculled out, and the rest placed in thesegovernment holders for the GSA sale.17