1881-S Morgan Dollar (1878-1921)

Intriguing History

The 1880s were the height of the Comstock Lode and the broader Western silver mining boom, and San Francisco's mint ran at full tilt turning that bullion into Morgan dollars under the Bland-Allison Act, which forced the Treasury to buy millions of ounces of silver every month whether the coins were actually needed or not. Most sat unused in Treasury vaults for decades since Americans largely preferred paper currency for everyday purchases. Only after the 1918 Pittman Act melted huge quantities of these dollars back down did survivors like this 1881-S become genuinely collectible rather than simply abundant.