1883-O $1 Morgan Silver Dollar NGC MS67 DPL "Sole Finest in DPL"

Stunning...beautiful...dramatic. Words pale when looking at the images of this coin. Thus it is with great pleasure that we at AUCM present a literal "one of a kind" specimen: an 1883-O $1 Morgan graded NGC MS67 DPL. This piece is the "Sole Finest in DPL." Mint state 1883-O Morgan dollars are among the most common of the entire series. And their appearance, as is the case with most New Orleans' struck issues, runs the gamut from plain to pristine. However, in Prooflike and Deep Proof Like, this issue can be quite attractive--and at times downright breathtaking.

The old New Orleans (NO) mint had an exciting history. As one of three original branch mints (along with Dahlonega and Charlotte), it was the only one to coin both gold and silver issues. From 1838, when it opened its doors, until 1854, the year the San Francisco mint opened, New Orleans was decidedly the nation's secondary mint to Philadelphia. Its colorful history hit its peak during the Civil War. The year 1861 saw the NO mint change hands more than once. It was a Union mint in the early part of the year, followed by seizure by state of Louisiana troops. Later in 1861 saw the NO mint fall under the control of the Confederate States of America (CSA), and the existing dies and metal were used to produce U.S. coins for use by the CSA. There were four half dollars struck for the CSA, using original dies for its obverse, however there was not enough metal to create a regular mintage. The post-Civil War era saw the NO mint stand empty for several years. It was assumed that its time had come and gone. However, the Bland-Allison Act of 1878 was passed to mollify pro-silver interests who wanted a legal tender coin to replace the Trade dollar. The legislation compelled the Treasury to purchase millions of dollars worth of silver each month to turn into silver dollars. Therefore the New Orleans mint sprang back to life in 1879, producing millions upon millions of Morgan dollars (and other silver coins) until its doors finally closed in 1909.