The Morgan dollar is one of the most strongly collected coins of the United States, while the Liberty Seated dollar of 1836-1891 has long been treated as a poor relative. This has been changing slowly as collectors learn of the interesting history behind the dollar that was struck during more years than any other in our history. There are 27 different dates for the Morgan series but 36 for the Liberty Seated.
It all began in 1835, when Mint Director Samuel Moore resigned and was replaced by Dr. Robert M. Patterson. The new director believed that our silver coinage designs were outdated and unworthy of a great nation. To this end, he set two talented artists, Thomas Sully and Titian Peale, to work on special artwork.
Sully was assigned the obverse, which was to be a seated figure of Liberty, similar to Britannia on the British coinage, yet distinctly American in character. Sully was to succeed brilliantly in his assignment; Patterson then turned over the artwork to Mint Engraver Christian Gobrecht. (Peale designed the reverse eagle.)
The engraver prepared a series of trial dies in which he gradually came closer and closer to the ideal figure required by Director Patterson. In the fall of 1836, patterns were struck and then, in the first week of December, 1,000 silver dollars of the new design were made for general circulation. These have the famous flying eagle on
