Most Morgan silver dollars produced for circulation have had a tough life. They were stored in massive bags, often traveled long distances, and frequently were banged around. Add to that the design of the coin: Liberty’s flat cheeks, and broad fields that show all marks fairly clearly.

Thankfully, there are plenty of Mint State 65 and even MS-66 Morgan dollars. Mint State 67 examples are tougher to find, but a solid one can be found for $700 or so. In MS-68 the herd thins, and these survivors are rare.

The three included in this week's Market Analysis series are in MS-68+ and were sold in Legend’s June 25 Regency XII sale in Las Vegas, Nev.

The Coin

1883 Morgan dollar, MS-68+, CAC

The Price 

$49,937

The Story 

The 1883 Morgan dollar comes from a large mintage of 12,290,000 pieces, and even MS-67 examples aren’t particularly rare with Professional Coin Grading Service showing 115 submissions at this grade level and 10 at the MS-67+ level.

The Coronet Collection’s PCGS MS-68+ example with a green Certified Acceptance Corp. sticker indicating quality within the grade is the finest known. It sold for $49,937.50 at Legend’s June 25 auction. It is notable for its eye appeal, which the catalog describes as “a thick satiny luster” that “enhances original pale green/blue/purple/champagne colors that swirl over the obverse, while the reverse is a champagne/creamy white.”

A different, brilliant and untoned example graded PCGS MS-68 CAC sold for $34,615 at Heritage’s June 6, 2011, Florida United Numismatists auction.

More from CoinWorld.com:

U.S. Standard .900 silvery alloy in coins may change under legislation

British anti-slavery halfpenny token in Davisson’s auction

U.S. Mint temporarily suspends sales July 7 of American Eagle silver bullion coins

Truman sets and Jackie Kennedy gold coins: An update

Measuring modern world coin explosion, by the book

Keep up with all of CoinWorld.com's news and insights by signing up for our free eNewsletters, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Twitter. We're also on Instagram!