THE LIFE AND COINS OF GEORGE T. MORGAN

Much has been written about the coins that he designed, most famously the Morgan Silver Dollar, as well as a number of classic commemoratives and many medals struck at the Philadelphia Mint. This article will take a look into the life and work of the man, who can easily be considered to be one of the most proficient engravers ever to have worked at the US Mint.

Going back to the time just after his arrival in the United States, Morgan enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts after coming to Philadelphia, where his talent was soon noticed. Within a year of Morgan’s arrival in Philadelphia a large number of patterns with his designs were struck, mostly proposals for a new silver dollar. His design, with Ms Anna Williams serving as a model for the obverse and an American Eagle for the reverse, would become the Morgan Silver Dollar.

It had first been struck in half dollar size as a pattern in 1877, and while the media was not too enthusiastic about the design (which, we might add, they almost never were) the coin’s design is well respected to this day. While contemporaries of the day seemed to have preferred William’s Barber designs for the new Silver Dollar, it was Mint Director Linderman who had taken a personal liking to Morgan, and who eventually decided that it was Morgan’s design which was to be used for the new silver dollars. This design (with some minor modifications) would be struck from 1878 to 1904, and again in 1921, before it was replaced by the Peace Dollar.

To read the complete article, see: The Life and Coins of George T. Morgan (news.coinupdate.com/life-and-coins-of-george-t-morgan-1857/)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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