History of 1889 Silver Dollar

The history of 1889 silver dollar is rather interesting. As we all know, the silver dollar is a coin which is actuality only worth one dollar in the United States currency. But that is only the very beginning of this coins historical past and what meaning it has to all of us today.

To understand, the history of 1889 silver dollar fully we need to go back to the beginning of silver dollars in the United States in general. So, this story begins back in 1794 when these coins were first minted and how this minting process came about.

Early History of 1889 Silver Dollar

The history of Silver dollar started after the passage of the Coinage Act of 1792. This act authorized the production of the first coins. The United States mint produced these coins from 1794 through 1803. These initial coins were not placed into circulation but were distributed to foreign as well as national dignitaries as a form of souvenirs.

Then the 1804 silver dollar was produced, which is considered as the rarest and one of the most notable coin for collectors worldwide. This coin was minted in 1834 but has the 1804 date on them. These coins were also produced as a means of creating gifts in exchange for trade agreements and were given to Asian leaders.

There were only 15 coins that were minted with the 1804 date and one of the coins was sold for 4 million dollars in 1999. It's also believed that only eight are still in existence.

The next coin to be minted was the Seated Liberty dollar. It was produced from the year 1836 until 1873 and was utilized fairly well in general circulation. However, the value of silver was more than the face value of the coin during 1853 which resulted in the coins minted to only be used during trading in the Orient. Fortunately, the value of silver fell in 1870 and the coins were produced again for general circulation.

Now for the History of 1889 Silver Dollar

George T. Morgan was the coin designer of the 1889 silver dollar. The Morgan silver dollars were minted in the United States in the years from 1878 through 1904. Although Morgan is famous for designing many U.S. coins, he is most well known for the Morgan dollar which brings us up to date with the actual history of 1889 silver dollar.

These 1889 Morgan silver dollars were minted in five different cities, which include Carson City, Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco and Denver. The mint mark which can be found at the back of the coin designates in which city the dollar was minted. This 1889 Morgan silver dollar has the highest value of all of the ones designed by Morgan and the most sought after coin in the whole Morgan dollar series.

If you want to collect coins, it's best to know their age and their background. Knowing the history of 1889 silver dollar can help you to determine the places where it was minted and recognize its true worth. You can also now understand that silver was highly valuable in the early times much like it is today.