While collectors prize the Morgan silver dollar today, in its day much of America shunned the coins, even the President of the United States was against it. After silver coins stopped being minted in the United States in 1873, the booming silver mines in the West were producing more silver than the mine owners could sell. In 1878 the Bland-Allison Act was introduced in Congress to give the silver mines an outlet for all of the excess silver by selling it to the government for minting coins. The bill passed, even though President Rutherford B. Hayes vetoed it.
The first Morgan dollar was minted in 1878. Also the infamous Lincoln County War began in New Mexico. The war was started to break a monopoly in the county in the beef cattle trade. The most famous participant in the conflict was William Henry McCarty, also known as Billy the Kid.
The Morgan coins saw America through good and bad times, including many milestones in the country's history. Some of the more notable include;
1879-Thomas Edison demonstrated a successful electric light with a cotton thread as the filament.
1881-President James Garfield was shot in July and died in September.
1882-Jesse James was shot and killed by one of his associates.
1883-The Brooklyn Bridge was opened.
1885-The Westinghouse Electrical & Manufacturing Company was founded.
1886-The first Coca-Cola was sold by pharmacist John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia.
1887-Thomas Edison built the first motor driven phonograph.
1888-George Eastman introduced the Kodak camera.
1889-The I.M. Singer company begins marketing the first electrically driven sewing machine.
1891-Carnegie Hall opens in New York City.
1894-Oil begins gushing from a well being drilled for water in Corsicana, Texas.
1895-The first auto race took place on a 53 mile stretch between Chicago and Milwaukee.
1896-The first commercial car for sale was made by the Duryea Motor Company in Massachusetts.
1898-Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders made their famous charge up San Juan Hill.
1901-President William McKinley was shot in Buffalo and died 8 days later.
1903-At Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Wilbur and Orville Wright flew 852 feet at an altitude of 15 feet for 59 seconds.
The Morgan silver dollar is now the most popular silver dollar among collectors, and one of the most collected of all American coins. Having seen America through so many important moments, it's no wonder this coin becomes more popular each year.
William Davis
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment