1885-O Morgan Silver Dollar. MS-67+ (PCGS).A frosty white beauty with a razor sharp strike, intense mint luster and virtually pristine surfaces. The 1885-O was produced in generous numbers (9,185,000 pieces) and, more important to its availability in todays market, was widely represented in government releases from the 1930s through the early to mid 1960s. Writing in the 1993 reference Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States, A Complete Encyclopedia, Volume Two, Q. David Bowers states:Following the closing of the New Orleans Mint, quantities of 1885-O dollars were shipped to the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. and the Philadelphia Mint for long-term storage. From the Washington vault, 1885-O dollars were paid out beginning by the early 1930s, and in multiple-bag quantities in 1938, 1953, 1954, and 1957. In October 1962, continuing into early 1963, vast quantities, probably amounting to millions of coins, were released from storage at the Philadelphia Mint. The 1883-O, 1884-O, and 1885-O constitute the bulk of approximately 10 million coins released from a long-sealed vault in the Philadelphia Mint, beginning in October 1962 and continuing through much of 1963. My estimate is that the breakdown of these three dates is about as follows: 1883-O: 1.5 to 2.5 million coins; 1884-O: 2.5 to four million coins; and 1885-O: two to 3.5 million coins. These are, of course, in addition to bags released before 1962.Thanks to these releases, the 1885-O is one of the most available Morgan silver dollars. However, no issue in this perennially popular and widely collected series is plentiful in the finest Mint State grades, as here. An important bidding opportunity for the discerning collector.PCGS Population: 41; 2 finer in this category (both MS-68).
