1896-O $1 MS64 PCGS. Ex: Jackson Hole. A brilliant and lustrous near-Gem with frosty silver luster and faint champagne toning. The 1896-O is a scarce date in all Mint State grades, although it is common in circulated grades. It seems that most or all of the original mintage was actually used for its intended purpose--circulation. Accurately graded Choice and Gem Mint State examples, such as the near-Gem coin offered here, are not often encountered. Over 30 years ago, in 1976, Wayne Miller wrote: "No other Morgan dollar is as consistently deficient in luster, strike, and degree of surface abrasions at the 1896-O. A fully struck piece is rare; an 1896-O with minimum bagmarks is even more unusual." Population: 23 in 64, 3 finer (2/07).
From The Jackson Hole Collection.