Belle Époque Era

The 1904-O

New Orleans struck 3,720,000 Morgan dollars in 1904. It was the last year of regular Morgan production; the silver set aside by Congress ran out, and no more Morgans were struck until 1921.

The New Orleans Mint opened in 1838, struck half dollars for the Confederacy in 1861, and began striking Morgans in 1879. Since 1981 the building has been part of the Louisiana State Museum.

The Year 1904

On April 30, 1904, the St. Louis World's Fair opened to honor the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase, formally handed over at New Orleans' Cabildo, in the city where this coin was struck. The following year the Ida Glenn No. 1 struck oil south of Tulsa, where our store is based, launching the boom that made Tulsa "the Oil Capital of the World." A dollar in 1904 had the buying power of about $36 today.

The Morgan Dollar

Isn't it remarkable that one of America's best-known collectible coins was designed by an Englishman, who went on to become Chief Engraver of the United States Mint?

George T. Morgan, from the Birmingham area of England, joined the US Mint in 1876 on the recommendation of Britain's Royal Mint. His model for Liberty was Anna Willess Williams of Philadelphia. In 1918 the Pittman Act melted over 270 million silver dollars, and sold much of the silver to Britain to back its currency in India.

Grade And Authenticity

MS (Mint State) 64 means no wear at all, and the number rises as marks decrease and luster and strike improve. NGC, founded in 1987 by John Albanese, is the official grading service of the American Numismatic Association, with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Munich and London. The seller also tested the metal through the holder with a calibrated Sigma Metalytics verifier (consistent with silver), inspected the holder for tampering (none found), and confirmed the certification number on the NGC website.

Also In Our Store

• Victorian advertising trade cards, chromolithographed in the Morgan years.
• Holiday postcards from the Golden Age of Postcards, many printed in Germany.
• Peace dollars, designed by Sicilian-born Anthony de Francisci, and more world coins and banknotes.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

The 1904-O

New Orleans struck 3,720,000 Morgan dollars in 1904. It was the last year of regular Morgan production; the silver set aside by Congress ran out, and no more Morgans were struck until 1921.

The New Orleans Mint opened in 1838, struck half dollars for the Confederacy in 1861, and began striking Morgans in 1879. Since 1981 the building has been part of the Louisiana State Museum.

The Year 1904

On April 30, 1904, the St. Louis World's Fair opened to honor the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase, formally handed over at New Orleans' Cabildo, in the city where this coin was struck. The following year the Ida Glenn No. 1 struck oil south of Tulsa, where our store is based, launching the boom that made Tulsa "the Oil Capital of the World." A dollar in 1904 had the buying power of about $36 today.

The Morgan Dollar

Isn't it remarkable that one of America's best-known collectible coins was designed by an Englishman, who went on to become Chief Engraver of the United States Mint?

George T. Morgan, from the Birmingham area of England, joined the US Mint in 1876 on the recommendation of Britain's Royal Mint. His model for Liberty was Anna Willess Williams of Philadelphia. In 1918 the Pittman Act melted over 270 million silver dollars, and sold much of the silver to Britain to back its currency in India.

Grade And Authenticity

MS (Mint State) 61 means no wear at all, and the number rises as marks decrease and luster and strike improve. PCGS, founded in 1986, guarantees its grades. The seller also tested the metal through the holder with a calibrated Sigma Metalytics verifier (consistent with silver), inspected the holder for tampering (none found), and confirmed the certification number on the PCGS website.

Also In Our Store

• Victorian advertising trade cards, chromolithographed in the Morgan years.
• Holiday postcards from the Golden Age of Postcards, many printed in Germany.
• Peace dollars, designed by Sicilian-born Anthony de Francisci, and more world coins and banknotes.

Disclaimer

Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted.

Historical Context

The great Paris department store. The back invites visitors to see the store as "one of the most remarkable curiosities of Paris," with "interpreters in every language," and names its founder, Aristide Boucicaut.

Paris 1900. At the Exposition Universelle of 1900 the store was "Hors Concours — Membre du Jury": too distinguished to compete, it sat on the jury instead.

A fable for children. The front illustrates La Fontaine's fable of the hen that laid golden eggs, from a numbered series.

Condition

Front: very good, bright color with a slick finish. Back: light foxing, crisp green printing. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.

About The Printing

This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed.

Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own.

The front has a slick, glossy finish, and the back is printed in a single green ink.

Provenance

From my family's estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.

Also In Our Store

More Victorian advertising trade cards are in our store.

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.

Historical Context

Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber designed the dime, quarter and half dollar introduced in 1892; his dime was struck until 1916. Philadelphia struck 19,958,406 Barber dimes in 1906. That December Theodore Roosevelt became the first American to win a Nobel Prize, for the Peace Prize; he was also pushing the Mint for new coin designs, the start of a movement that replaced Barber's dime with the Mercury dime in 1916.

Buying Power

In 1906 this dime had the buying power of about $3.70 today.

Condition

[Est. G-4] Circulated, with gray toning. Full obverse rims; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, the date and ONE DIME are clear. LIBERTY on the headband is worn away, as is usual at this grade, and the wreath is worn flat. Many fine scratches across Liberty's head and the fields, and green spots along the right edge of both sides (see the close-ups). Grade estimated; not professionally graded. Currently still legal tender, but its silver content and collector value are far higher than face value.

Also In Our Store

More coins: https://www.ebay.com/str/tfauctionsintl?_nkw=coin

Disclaimer

The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.