1885-CC $1 Morgan Silver Dollar GSA Hoard NGC MS64

A true relic of the Wild West! When you purchase this 1885-CC silver dollar you will own a true relic of the romantic past of our nation: the history of the Wild West; the history of the silver mines and silver barons; and the history of the miners who worked the mines. Close your eyes for a minute and let yourself drift back in time. Saloon doors swing open and the smell of whiskey hangs in the air. You hear a player piano knocking out a popular tune--and the distinctive clang of silver dollars is heard as they are dropped on the wooden bar to pay for a round of drinks.

The Morgan dollar is the most popular classic coin series that collectors crave. And within that series is a subset that everyday collectors and specialists alike cherish: Carson City Morgan dollars in the black GSA (General Services Administration) cases. It was after the famous 'Treasury Releases' of 1962-64, when millions of silver dollars were sold to the public, that the U.S. Treasury discovered a previously unknown massive hoard of mint bags of Carson City silver dollars--over 2.8 million of them!--hidden away in Treasury vaults. It was decided to sell these coins under the authority of the GSA in seven mail bid sales from 1972 to 1980.

The 1885-CC has the lowest mintage of all the Carson City Morgan dollars. Because of that, collectors have always been drawn to this date and mintmark. However, after the GSA mail bid sales, 1885-CC's have never been difficult to purchase in uncirculated grades. After being produced, nearly all of the 1855-CC dollars were bagged and stored, thereby creating a great numismatic rarity. Later years saw bags distributed from the Treasury building in Washington, D.C. Many bags were paid out during the 1950s. There were 148,285 of them--65.03% of the original mintage--in the Treasury hoard that was sold via the GSA in the 1970s.

Numismatic author Q. David Bowers writes of this coin: "Most examples are brilliant, lustrous, and attractive to the eye. ... Most are well struck with brilliant, frosty lustre." Another element of the fascinating story of the 1885-CC dollars is that it is actually a rare coin in circulated grades. For example, NGC has authenticated and certified 166 examples from Poor 1 to AU 58, while they have slabbed 22,894 pieces in grades MS 60 to MS 68 (as of 11/2020). PCGS has graded 452 of the 1885-CC silver dollars from Poor 1 to AU 58+, and 24,612 were authenticated and certified in grades MS60 to MS 68+ (as of 11/2020).