1921-D S$1

Description

1921-D Morgan Silver Dollar, PCGS MS-65. The 1921-D Morgan Dollar represents a historically significant numismatic rarity as the only Morgan Silver Dollar ever struck at the Denver Mint. This final year of Morgan Dollar production (1878-1921) marks an important milestone in American coinage history. The coins were minted from silver recovered under the Pittman Act, much of which originated from the famous Comstock Lode discovery in Nevada. The 1921 Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco issues are the only Morgan dollars that allow collectors to assemble a complete set from three different mints in the final year of the series. This MS-65 example exhibits the characteristic features of 1921-D dollars struck from the redesigned shallow-relief dies. The obverse displays Liberty in profile with the distinctive tiny "Micro D" mintmark, which on some specimens was shallowly impressed and can be difficult to discern. The reverse features the eagle with 16 berries in the wreath. The frosty, lustrous surfaces typical of well-preserved examples from this issue are evident, though the shallow-relief dies do not produce the sharp striking detail seen in earlier Morgan dollars from the 1878-1904 era. According to population estimates, MS-65 or better examples are scarce, with only an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 pieces believed to exist in these grades. Despite the large original mintage of 20,345,000 pieces, vast quantities were melted under the Silver Act of 1942 and subsequent government programs. While vast hoards of lower-grade Mint State coins were released in the 1950s and early 1960s, making circulated examples extremely common, certified pieces in MS-65 condition remain genuinely scarce. PCGS population data indicates 993 examples graded higher than MS-65, with 2,431 total graded across all grades, underscoring the rarity of this particular specimen. PCGS Certification: #61455189