Veiled in a swath of dark multi-color iridescence, the obverse of this coin is underlain with a vibrant silvery luster. The reverse much brighter, completely lacking the dark tones, and with only a medium champagne blush confined to the rims and areas immediately adjacent. Sharply struck overall, and possessing the smooth surfaces you would expect at this Gem level of preservation, this is an example that is sure to attract the attention of any number of bidders. A key date Morgan Dollar in all grades, the 1895-S has an original mintage of just 400,000 pieces with only 8 dates in the entire series having lower mintages. In addition to the rarity of this particular date, high-grade Morgans such as this are very few and far between.The 1895-S represents a major hurdle for the advanced Morgan dollar collector not only because of its overall elusiveness, but also because it is a formidable condition rarity. Writing in the 1993 book <em>Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia, Volume Two</em>, Q. David Bowers states: "Ask a silver dollar dealer this question: What two Morgan dollar issues usually are seen heavily bagmarked? The answer is apt to be: 1893-CC and 1895-S." Todays example has fortunately escaped that fate, having a very acceptable number of bagmarks for a MS-65 on the obverse, and far fewer than one would expect on the reverse.,,PCGS# 7238. NGC ID: 255Z.,PCGS Population: 37; just 5 finer through MS-66+.,
