1881-CC $1 Morgan Silver Dollar PCGS MS66+ (CAC)

This 1881-CC Morgan dollar, struck at the storied Carson City mint, is a wonderful relic to possess. Such coins evoke the history of the Wild West: Cowboys and Indians; the banks, bordellos and bistros that popped up almost overnight during the Gold Rush; and of course the gold and silver mines and the miners who worked in the belly of the earth. Without them we wouldn't such vestiges as the one offered here by AUCM. PCGS has graded 337 in MS66+, with 303 finer. In CAC, there are 494 in MS66/66+ with 77 finer.

Sioux chief Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill Cody, who worked together in Cody's Wild West Show. Both of them no doubt carried Carson City silver dollars in their pockets and spent them regularly in the Old West.

Despite its low mintage of 296,000, this is not a rare coin. David Bowers writes, "The low mintage of this issue and the popular Carson City mintmark contribute to the desirability." Ironically, this coin is a true rarity in worn grades--and actually difficult to find. Wayne Miller, who authored The Morgan and Peace Dollar Textbook, writes, "The typical 1881-CC has full, frosty luster and bold strike .... On the whole, the 1881-CC is probably the highest quality Morgan dollar struck at the Carson City mint." Bowers tells us that many were paid out during the 1930s, as well as a few more bags in 1954. The GSA holdings were 147,485--49.82% of the original mintage.