#42 • 1889 Silver Morgan Dollar New Orleans

Part of Gold and Silver Showcase (live auction by Blue Box Auction Gallery)

High bid $240.00

Status: Sold

Estimated Value: $100-300 Origin: United States Denomination: One Dollar Year: 1889 Mint: New Orleans Grade/Condition: Estimated : MS Metal: Silver Weight (+/- 0.2g): Estimated: 26.7 Grams Additional Description: The 1889 Silver Morgan Dollar struck at the New Orleans Mint represents one of the most recognizable issues in late nineteenth-century American coinage. Designed by George T. Morgan, the series embodied a new vision of national identity following the Reconstruction era. Liberty, portrayed as a youthful woman crowned with wheat and cotton, symbolizes both agriculture and industry, the dual pillars of the American economy at the time. The O mintmark beneath the wreath on the reverse identifies its origin in New Orleans, a branch mint long associated with coins that circulated widely across the South. Composed of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper, each dollar contains just under an ounce of fine silver, making it both a monetary instrument and a tangible store of value. The 1889 New Orleans issue is not among the rarest of the Morgan series, yet its appeal lies in its connection to a period of economic transition and regional revival. Surviving examples, particularly those retaining their original luster and sharp detail, serve as enduring artifacts of America’s late nineteenth-century minting tradition, objects where artistry, technology, and national identity converge in a single piece of silver.