Lot 271
1878 Silver Morgan Dollar San Francisco
Sold December 12, 2025
- Price realized
- $54
Price realized is the winning bid (hammer price) and excludes buyer’s premium.
About this lot
Estimated Value: $100-300
Origin: United States
Denomination: One Dollar
Year: 1878
Mint: San Francisco
Grade/Condition: Estimated: MS
Metal: Silver
Weight (+/- 0.2g): 26.7 Grams
Additional Description: The 1878 Morgan Silver Dollar struck at the San Francisco Mint stands as one of the key issues from the first year of this iconic coin series. Bearing the “S” mint mark just below the wreath on the reverse, this coin reflects the technical precision and high-quality strikes for which the San Francisco Mint was well known.
Designed by George T. Morgan, the obverse features a refined portrait of Liberty in profile, her hair adorned with wheat, cotton bolls, and a Phrygian cap, symbols of liberty, agriculture, and unity. The reverse displays a heraldic eagle with wings outstretched, grasping arrows and an olive branch, surrounded by the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “ONE DOLLAR,” and the national motto “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
Like other 1878 Morgan Dollars, the San Francisco coins also saw variations in tail feather counts, with both 7 Tail Feathers and the earlier 8 Tail Feathers types appearing, though most S-mint coins feature the corrected 7 Tail Feathers design.
Struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, the 1878-S Morgan Dollar was part of the coinage surge authorized by the Bland-Allison Act, which required the U.S. Treasury to purchase and coin large quantities of silver to support the struggling silver mining industry.
Lot details
- Lot
- 271
- Auction
- Gold and Silver Showcase
- Closed
- December 12, 2025
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