1893-S Morgan Silver Dollar S$1 NGC XF45. Bold strike with original surfaces. A premium original example of the classic key date in the Morgan dollar series. Extremely rare in uncirculated condition and even coins finer than Very Fine are considered to be extremely scarce to rare. This issue had a mintage of just 100,000 coins, all struck in January of 1893. At least 20,000 or 30,000 were released in circulation, but it is believed that the other coins remained in storage and were later melted. From the number of coins known (a couple of thousand) and the average survivability of Morgan dollars, this seems to be a very plausible explanation, as this is a very rare date in any grade.

The immense popularity of the Morgan dollar series has led to an increased demand in the scarcer and key-dates, with the 1893-S being the absolute king of these. Even the most novice collector will know of its status, and while they are not extremely difficult to find, the demand has kept the number of offerings relatively low. This is especially the case with truly original coins, such as the present specimen. Over the years, when collectors acquired the known 1893-S Morgan dollars from banks to the present time, unconscious people have cleaned or otherwise damaged the pieces. While these certainly represent a market value, it has made the desirability of original pieces even higher.

This is such an original piece, with dark surfaces on both sides. This is a clear indication that the coin has never been cleaned, dipped or otherwise been played with. While it certainly has spent some time in circulation, most likely along the west coast, it was taken out of circulation early enough to retain good detail, in particular on the obverse. Some small circulation marks are noted on both sides, but none are overly distracting. In all, this coin is a great and original example of this ever popular silver dollar from the late 19th century.