A Carson City Silver Dollar is another prized
collectible. For some who may only be a little familiar with coin history,
Carson City may not sound like a typical minting site. After all, in the late
1800s, this city was small and had a low population. It was far more likely for
the city to be associated with cowboys and gun slingers than coin minting. Some
events however, led to the temporary popularity of Carson as a silver minting
site.
Comstock Load
The story of the silver dollar from Carson began with
the story of two miners. Peter O’Reilly and Pat McLaughlin were apparently
looking for gold but found a lot of silver instead in 1859. The silver they
found came to be known as the Comstock Load after Henry Comstock. He was
apparently quicker than the two founders and legally took possession of the
silver.
This however, was not yet the beginning of the Carson
City Silver Dollar. Since the city had no mint and San Francisco was far away,
silver was used or transported raw. They were carted in bulk or used as is in
transactions. It was only after a couple of more years that the Carson Mint was
actually established.
The Dollar
The Carson City Silver Dollar is actually a variety. Its
mother group is the Morgan series of silver dollars. It was named after coin
designer George T. Morgan. Like other Morgan coins, the Carson coin is large,
with a diameter of a little over one inch. On the obverse is the head profile of
Miss Liberty. This side also carries the date of minting, the phrase “E Pluribus
Unum” and thirteen stars. On the reverse is an eagle carrying arrows and an
olive branch. The words “United States of America,” In God We Trust,” and “One
Dollar” are also on the reverse.
What sets this dollar apart from other Morgans is its
minting initials. This is the only silver dollar with a double mint initial. The
CC found at the bottom portion of the reverse side stands for Carson City.
World War
There weren’t always very many CC Silver Dollars minted.
There were some years in which this particular dollar numbered only a couple of
hundreds. These years include 1879, 1880, 1881, 1885, 1889 and 1893. The year
with the lowest number of coins produced was probably 1885 with only 238,000.
These coins typically fetch steeper prices at present.
One other factor contributed to the rise in value of the
Carson City Silver Dollar. If they had remained numerous, they would have
fetched lower prices. These unique double initial dollars however became
depleted in number. During the First World War, these silver dollars along with
many other types were melted. The melted silver was loaned to the English to
help with the war effort. Some government and privately kept coins however were
able to escape melting and survive to this day.
The Carson City Silver Dollar is indeed a unique piece.
This is all the more reason why you should take good care to assess a piece
first before jumping on an offer.
