The Morgan Silver Dollar is a highly recognizable and collectable piece of United States coin minting history. The Morgan Dollar was originally minted 1878 through 1904, and was minted again in 1921.

While the Morgan Dollar contains the image of Lady Liberty on the face and an eagle with spread wings on the reverse, it actually gets its name from the man who designed the coin; George T. Morgan who was an assistant engraver at the United States Mint. Morgan's inspiration for the new face of Lady Liberty on the obverse of his dollar coin was Anna Willess Williams who sat for Morgan as a model for his design.

The Morgan Dollar can be described as one of the larger United States coins measuring 1 1/2 inches in diameter and weighing 26.73 grams. The coin is receded around the edge and was minted in Philadelphia, Carson City, Denver, San Francisco and New Orleans.

Morgan Silver Dollars are comprised of 90% silver and 10% copper. Because of its high silver content, the Morgan Dollar has become a prized coin to be collected not only for coin collector, but for the investor as well. As a collector coin the Morgan Dollar is a popular choice. With an average melt-down value of at least $20, people seem them as a good investment.

Collectors prefer Morgan Dollars because they were minted at five different US Mint facilities, providing five unique collectable coins. The most prized of the Morgan Dollars are ones that were minted in the Carson City Mint. There were limited numbers of Morgan Dollars minted in Carson City, and they became even rarer due to the government ordering a cease of production on dollar coins. Coins were withheld to be melted down and struck again as new coins. It was assumed that the Morgan Dollars were destroyed. In the early 1960s, a stash was discovered at the Carson City Mint and was subsequently distributed to the public.

Since 2005, investors have taken great interest in buying silver and silver coins to invest in the value of the silver, not the collectable value cherished by coin enthusiasts. The instability of the United States economy has led to this trend. Silver values have been on the rise for years. Investing in silver in the form of Morgan Dollars can provide an exceptional hedge against inflation.