Morgan dollar tail feathers 0

[kbbpll]

I don't know much about Morgan dollars but I ran into this and figured somebody might find it interesting.

(From https://archive.org/details/rg104entry235vol316juldec/page/n529/mode/2up )

[RWB]

This is interesting information and helps narrow the estimated mintage of the first reverse design. There is additional information in my book "Girl on the Silver Dollar" that helps explain the 7 over 8 tail feather varieties.

[kbbpll]

I figured it's been pretty well researched already. I found it interesting that the mint director could dig up that information 22 years later.

[messydesk]

I don't know that the mint director actually "dug up" this figure as much as he wet-finger estimated it.  The 7/8 TF and 7 TF reverses were phased in during late March and early April 1878, and there were some 7 TF coins that were made before 8 TF coins that used the same obverse die.  I've estimated that the mintage of 8TF is about 1,280,000 based on die studies and mint correspondence, which is just as far away from his estimate as the 750,000 figure that has been in the Red Book for a long time.  A previous estimate, made in the late 1950s or early 1960s, was 580,000.

[kbbpll]

"Dug up" was a poor choice of words. Maybe that number/guess came from Barber or Morgan - they were both engravers at the mint the entire time and it seems like someone in Roberts' position wouldn't have a clue. I just thought it might be useful to somebody, since if I was researching something from 1878 I probably wouldn't be looking in the 1900 records.

[RWB]

A likely source were the die use records from 1878. There was considerable internal documentation regarding the first reverse (8 TF) and Morgan was under pressure to produce a new hub with uniform basin. (William Barber, Engraver, felt that the other mints did not have sufficient skill to handle the 8-TF's irregular basin without harming appearance.)

If anyone was asked to comment anecdotally, it would have been Morgan. (Charles Barber was a lowly assistant in 1878 and not involved.)