| Survival Estimate | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 725 |
| 60 or Better | 725 |
| 65 or Better | 160 |
| Numismatic Rarity | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | R-5.5 |
| 60 or Better | R-5.5 |
| 65 or Better | R-7.4 |
| Relative Rarity By Type All Specs in this Type | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 52 / 117 TIE |
| 60 or Better | 52 / 117 TIE |
| 65 or Better | 54 / 117 |
| Relative Rarity By Series All Specs in this Series | |
|---|---|
| All Grades | 52 / 117 TIE |
| 60 or Better | 52 / 117 TIE |
| 65 or Better | 54 / 117 |
#1 PCGS MS67PL
As PCGS MS67PL #50002973. "The Anne Kate Collection," Bowers and Merena, August 2006, Lot 2267 - $21,275; "The Larry H. Miller Collection," Stack's Bowers, November 12, 2020, Lot 6380 - $28,800. As PCGS MS67PL #40684314. Legend Rare Coin Auctions, October 28, 2021, Lot 471 - $36,425; "The Magnificent Morgans Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). Fully brilliant, save for two dark olive toning spots on Liberty’s chin. Highly reflective surfaces with minimal abrasions. |
|
#1 PCGS MS67PL
Graded in 1999. No public auction records. |
#3 PCGS MS66PL
Faint golden patination. A mark on Liberty’s cheek and a rim hit above the portrait. A russet toning spot is visible to the right of the eagle’s right wing. |
#3 PCGS MS66PL
Faint golden patination. |
|
#5 PCGS MS65+PL
Heritage Auctions, February 16, 2017, Lot 4727 - $3,055. Brilliant. Two heavy rim hits are visible at 12 o'clock, directly below E · P in E · PLURIBUS. |
The San Francisco Morgan Dollar issues, so plentiful in Gem Mint State during the early years of the series, become quite elusive throughout the 1890s and early 1900s. The San Francisco Mint struck 2,562,000 1899-S Morgan Dollars (PCGS #7262), but over 1,000,000 were eventually culled via the Pittman Act and private melts.
| 1899-S Morgan Dollar Production | |||
| January | 336,000 | February | 336,000 |
| March | 550,000 | April | 284,000 |
| May | 500,000 | June | 510,000 |
| July | 46,000 | August-December | None |
| Total: 2,562,000 | |||
Production focused almost entirely on the first six months of the year, followed by a final trickle of 46,000 coins in July. From the total mintage, only 609,534 coins were released into circulation; the remainder was held in storage. This explains why so many were available for melting and why the date is so rarely encountered in circulated grades.
Despite this scarcity, the 1899-S Morgan Dollar is characterized by high quality; most Mint State examples feature a sharp strike and retain excellent luster. Many coins exhibit Prooflike surfaces, which explains why PL examples command little to no premium. Deep Mirror Prooflike (DMPL) specimens, however, command a 3x premium through the PCGS MS64 grade and can reach 10x the value in higher grades.
A steady stream of 1899-S Morgan Collar bags was released by the San Francisco Mint from 1942 through the mid-1950s. By the peak of the Treasury releases (1962–1964), this stockpile was nearly exhausted, as evidenced by the date’s scant representation in the Redfield Hoard. Q. David Bowers posits that the 1899-S Dollars Redfield did possess were likely sourced from 1950s casino shipments.
* * *