The 1878 8 Tailfeathers Morgan Dollar, PCGS PR66CAM is the Professional Grading Service’s (PCGS) Coin of the Month.
There are few coins as popular as the Morgan dollar, a large, classic silver coin and a true collector’s collectible. It was struck from 1878 through 1921, and Morgan dollar experts have counted and cataloged hundreds upon hundreds of distinct varieties across the series.
Due to the large collector base for this series and the rarity of many of these varieties, many of these cataloged attributions score big bucks. Among the most sought-after is the proof 1878 8 Tailfeathers, a first-year variety owing to the eight tailfeathers seen on the eagle spread across the reverse of the coin.
Finding the Tailfeathers Morgan Dollar
This is an incredibly elusive coin, with a mintage of only 500 proofs carrying the 8 Tailfeathers reverse. However, the stakes get huge with the higher-grading specimens – particularly those with the coveted cameo frosting. Cameo proof Morgan dollars are, after all, are extremely rare and greatly coveted. Couple those desirable attributes with a rare variety such as this – on a Morgan dollar to boot – and one has arrived at an in-demand numismatic treasure. There’s always a buyer for a coin like this, and in top grades these pieces enjoy the added marketplace of the set registry collector; that is, someone who desires the very finest specimens to achieve a top-rated set – the best of the best possible.
Professional Coin Grading Service graded this 1878 8 Tailfeathers Morgan Dollar Proof-66 Cameo, a coin with a population of just one upon its sale and with only four specimens grading better. It’s little wonder that this coin saw enthusiastic bidding when it crossed the block at Stack’s Bowers Galleries on November 23, 2021. This specimen fetched an astounding $50,400.
Determining Market Price
A coin certified by a leading grading service combined with a reliable price guide is the cornerstone of consumer protection for a coin buyer. A consumer armed with a trustworthy price guide and the certified coin’s description and grade can be reasonably certain of getting good value. Match the certified coin’s exact description to the price guide, and you have the ballpark value of the coin.
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