The 1921 Morgan Silver Dollar marks the final chapter of America’s most famous silver dollar series—and the year of its greatest production. After a 17-year pause, the U.S. Mint struck more than 86 million Morgan dollars in 1921 across the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints—the only year the Denver Mint produced the coin. Named after its designer, George T. Morgan, an assistant engraver at the U.S. Mint, the coin features a profile portrait of Lady Liberty on the obverse, modeled after Philadelphia schoolteacher Anna Willess Williams. Liberty is depicted with flowing hair, wearing a Phrygian cap adorned with wheat and cotton, symbolizing America’s agricultural heritage. The reverse showcases a majestic eagle with outstretched wings, clutching arrows and an olive branch, symbolizing war and peace, respectively.
The 1921 Morgan is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper with a total weight of 26.73 grams (0.7734 troy ounces of pure silver). Because 1921 was by far the highest-mintage year of the series, these coins remain the most readily available Morgan dollars—offering the lowest per-coin acquisition cost in the series while tracking the silver spot price like a bullion instrument. Offered in AU/UNC condition, the 1921 Morgan is a practical way to acquire historic U.S. silver in a widely recognized, highly liquid form.
For the scarcer early dates of the series, struck between 1878 and 1904, see our Pre-1921 Morgan Silver Dollar.