Price swings?

[villa66]

With apologies to the Forum for English-only:

This San Francisco-mint 1884s Morgan dollar is a decent Fine worth about $20 in the U.S.

It’s a common coin, with a mintage of 3,200,000. But these old silver dollars circulated for more than 80 years—and the 1884s wasn’t one of the dates that survived, untouched, in Treasury vaults until the 1960s. So try to find one that hasn’t circulated...

And then say the Morgan set you are trying to assemble is collection of “gems,” MS65 or better, with full strikes and an absolute minimum of contact marks...

Then the 1884s Morgan becomes what is sometimes called “a stopper.” In MS65, according to the 2009 Redbook, this same 1884s silver dollar would set you back $250,000.

It isn't alone, of course, or even the largest in the Morgan series, but this is definitely one of the world's big-time price swings.

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[sigistenz]

Hi villa66, this sure is very interesting, not only for the collector specializing in the series. I learn that certain dates were (entirely?) kept untouched in the treasury vaults, whereas others were (entirely?) put into circulation. That explains why the Morgan Dollar as type coin can be encountered in very nice shape, UNC and better. I did not realize that certain high mintage dates would be unfindable in that grade. Though collecting completely different things I always enjoy your sophisticated sidelights. Keep on. Best, Sigi

[villa66]

It may not be your collecting area, but it seems obvious that you have a good background knowledge of the subject. And thanks, Sigi...

v.