Description
1890-CC $1 Morgan Dollar PCGS MS65
PCGS # 7198
Grading Service PCGS
Grade MS65
Mint Location Carson City
Year 1890
Designation
Strike Business
Grade Add On NONE
1890-CC $1 Morgan Dollar PCGS MS65
1890-CC $1
SKU: 83930933
A Gem Carson City Morgan with enduring frontier-mint appeal.
The 1890-CC Morgan Silver Dollar represents the final great era of coinage at the famed Carson City Mint, bearing the classic George T. Morgan design that has made the series a cornerstone of American numismatics. Liberty faces left on the obverse, wearing a Phrygian cap adorned with cotton and wheat, encircled by the familiar inscription E PLURIBUS UNUM, the date 1890 below, and stars at the border. The reverse displays a powerful heraldic eagle clasping arrows and an olive branch, framed by the legends UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ONE DOLLAR, with the prized CC mintmark beneath the wreath.
Certified PCGS MS65, this example resides firmly in the Gem category, a grade that combines strong technical preservation with considerable visual appeal. The strike is characteristically bold for the issue, with appreciable definition in Liberty’s hair and the eagle’s breast and wing detail. Lustrous silver-white surfaces are expected at this level, and any light peripheral toning only enhances the coin’s presentation. Surface preservation is notably superior to that of the many bag-handled Carson City dollars encountered in lower Mint State grades, and the overall eye appeal is fully commensurate with the assigned designation.
Within the Morgan Dollar series, the 1890-CC holds a special position. It was struck in the largest quantity of any Carson City silver dollar issue, a remarkable distinction for a mint whose output has become synonymous with Old West romance and collector fascination. Although many entered circulation in the 19th century, substantial quantities were later dispersed from long-held Treasury stocks, including releases through the San Francisco Mint in the early 1940s and from Treasury holdings in earlier decades. These hoard distributions helped preserve the issue in Mint State, ensuring its lasting importance as a type and date for collectors seeking an authentic Carson City dollar with historic government-release pedigree in the broader sense of the issue’s survival.
Despite its relative availability compared to some lower-mintage CC issues, the 1890-CC remains one of the most popular Carson City dollars, driven by sustained demand for the mintmark alone and by the broad popularity of the Morgan Dollar series. In PCGS MS65, it is a highly desirable condition rarity tier for collectors who want a true Gem example of this storied Western mint issue. PCGS reports a population of 418 pieces in MS65, with 164 certified finer, confirming that while obtainable, examples at this level remain selectively pursued by quality-conscious buyers.
A handsome and historically important Gem, this 1890-CC Morgan Dollar offers the ideal combination of Carson City prestige, strong certified quality, and lasting collector demand.