Oh boy! What do we have here today?

Today I’m not going to break the tradition and keep with my recent pattern of showing one piece of silver with one piece of art. No pun intended, but both are out of this world! He he he.

First The Art ..

The art is purely digital and it is still a work in progress. I created using a program called Sketchbook. I started doodling what was going to be a bubble and it turned into some sort of bright blue planet within a solar system. There are tons of tiny white stars in the distance; Some of them sparkling and shimmering, while others are faint and hard to make out. I have some nebula like masses along with lots of space clouds and gases floating around the edges.

I added colors of all sorts, blended and shaded adding lighter tones and darker ones. I tried to interpret my best visual sense of what lies deep in space. It may not be the best digital artwork anyone has ever seen but I don’t think it’s coming out that bad so far. I have to get a little bit better at trying to figure out how to feather out the edges of objects. I haven’t found the correct tool yet that will allow me to do that. So for right now, sometimes my digital drawing seem a bit blocky or smeared.

I also want to try to add a little more depth into this painting. I think it’s lacking some blacks that you would find deep in space. Also the bubble or the planet needs a lot more work. It’s not quite round either I noticed that now and again. Sort of like the full moon that’s not quite full; you can just tell that it’s not completely round.

I don’t have a name for it yet, although I DON'T believe I will be calling it ‘Morgan In Space’. Maybe I will simply call it 'Aquarius'. After all, Aquarius IS my sign! Maybe I should stop joking around here and get right to the silver part of this post.

The silver

What I have here is an 1883 Morgan silver dollar. It’s what I would consider an early Silver dollar, which was minted at the Philadelphia mint. I know this because it has no mint mark. These Morgan silver dollars are comprised of 90% silver and 10% copper and weigh a nice 26.73 g. They are a bit smaller in diameter then the liberty silver dollars.

I am not an expert at reading coins but I would estimate mine to be in a very good to fine condition. My example has a few scratches, dents, dings and nicks, as you would expect from a circulated coin. US coin book place is the value of the coin at roughly $28-$45 in this condition. I’ve seen them on eBay and other marketplace is selling for about that much. The melt value, given today’s Silver spot prices, comes in at $18.78.

The Philadelphia mint records that it struck 12,290,000 of these series dollars. I think, but I am unsure, that this was a much larger amount than most years early on with the series.

I know this is going to come as a shock to some of you, but the designer of the coin was none other than George T Morgan.. This the ‘Morgan’ Silver Dollar.

The Obverse..

Every time I hold a Morgan silver dollar I feel like it amazes me. Lady liberty with her flowing hair positioned on the obverse of the coin it’s truly beautiful. She wears a loose cap with the word 'LIBERTY' written at it's peak. If you look closely, you may even notice the flowers, seeds, and leaves tucked into the rim of the cap. A truly exquisite design, right down to the 13 stars and beading along the rim.

The Reverse ..

On the reverse of the coin, stands an eagle tall and proud, just under the words "In God We Trust". There is a considerable amount of detail still left in my coin. I can see some of these details in the feathers, the wreath that surrounds her, and in the olive branch and three arrows she is clutching. With the wings spread out wide, she surely makes a statement!

The Edge ..

Is reeded and has seen some wear over the years. I may have been the first to encapsulate the coin, limiting any further damage to the edge.

I picked this coin up, along with a few others, way back in my younger years. I paid about $8-10 a piece for them at that time. I thought that was quite a bit back then, but now wish I would have bought a ton more of them.

Hind sight! It's always perfect, isn't it?

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

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