1889-CC Morgan Silver Dollar
Among the 96 date-and-mint combinations in the Morgan Dollar series, the 1889-CC stands at the top of the rarity list for Carson City issues. With a mintage of only 350,000, it is the lowest-mintage of all CC Morgans, and the survival rate in collectible grades is remarkably low, particularly in Mint State. PCGS has graded fewer than 10,000 examples total, and uncirculated examples are genuinely rare. If you are building a complete Morgan Dollar collection, this is the coin you work toward last.
Carson City: The Western Mint
The Carson City Mint operated from 1870 through 1893, striking coins for just 24 years before closing permanently. The mint's location in Nevada placed it at the heart of the great Comstock Lode silver rush, and it processed much of that bonanza silver into coinage. Carson City Morgans carry the "CC" mintmark, placed on the reverse below the eagle, and that double-letter mark has commanded collector premiums for as long as there have been coin collectors.
The CC Morgans are beloved for several reasons: their western frontier association, the relatively low survival rates compared to Philadelphia or New Orleans issues, and the romantic history of the mint itself. But within the CC Morgan family, there is a clear hierarchy, and the 1889-CC sits at the top.
Why 1889 Was Different
The Carson City Mint struck Morgan Dollars for 13 of its years of operation, from 1878 through 1885 and then again from 1889 through 1893. There was a four-year gap in CC Morgan production from 1886 to 1888, during which the mint was essentially idle.
When production resumed in 1889, it did so at very low volume. The 350,000 mintage for the 1889-CC stands in stark contrast to the Philadelphia Mint's 21 million dollars that same year. The exact reasons for the low production are rooted in the politics of silver coinage legislation and the operations of the Carson City facility, but the result for collectors is a genuinely scarce coin at every grade level.
Melting further reduced surviving populations. The Pittman Act of 1918 melted approximately 270 million silver dollars, and while not all were Morgan dollars and not all were CC issues, the melting programs significantly reduced the population of all Morgan date-mint combinations, with lower-mintage issues suffering proportionally.
Grade Distribution and Values
The 1889-CC is challenging in any grade. Here are approximate values based on recent market data:
| Grade | Description | Approximate Value |
|---|---|---|
| Good (G-4) | Major design elements visible, heavy wear | $1,100 - $1,400 |
| Very Good (VG-8) | Clear design, moderate-heavy wear | $1,300 - $1,700 |
| Fine (F-12) | Some detail visible in hair and eagle | $1,500 - $2,000 |
| Very Fine (VF-20/30) | Moderate wear on high points | $1,800 - $2,500 |
| Extremely Fine (EF-40) | Light wear, most detail intact | $4,000 - $6,000 |
| About Uncirculated (AU-50/58) | Traces of wear on high points | $8,000 - $15,000 |
| Mint State 60-62 | Uncirculated, numerous marks | $25,000 - $35,000 |
| Mint State 63 | Uncirculated, moderate marks | $50,000 - $80,000 |
| Mint State 64 | Uncirculated, few marks | $150,000 - $250,000 |
| Mint State 65+ | Gem uncirculated | $350,000+ |
Note: Even Good grade examples command four-figure prices, demonstrating the genuine rarity across all grades. PCGS reports that only about 114 examples have graded MS62 (as of 2021), making even a low Mint State example a significant numismatic rarity.
Authentication: The Counterfeit Problem
The 1889-CC is heavily counterfeited. Two primary fraud methods occur:
Added mintmark: A 1889-P (Philadelphia) or other common-date Morgan has a CC mintmark fraudulently added. This is by far the most common form of fraud. Detection requires examining the mintmark under magnification for signs of tooling, altered metal flow, or inconsistency with the surrounding surface.
Altered date: Other dates are altered to read 1889. Less common than mintmark fraud but documented.
For any coin in this price range, PCGS or NGC certification is not optional, it is mandatory. The grading services use sophisticated equipment and have examined thousands of coins. A PCGS or NGC-slabbed 1889-CC provides meaningful authentication protection.
Buying a raw (uncertified) 1889-CC from a non-specialist source at a significant price is a risk not worth taking. Even experienced numismatists can be fooled by sophisticated fakes without proper equipment.
The Complete CC Morgan Set Challenge
Many collectors focus specifically on Carson City Morgans as a sub-collection. The 13 CC Morgan dates can theoretically be assembled in Good or Very Good grades for a total investment of roughly $5,000-$10,000 for the common dates, with the 1889-CC as the key piece that might represent 60-70% of the total set cost at VF grade.
The PCGS and NGC registries show many partial CC Morgan sets that stop short of the 1889-CC specifically, held up by either the price or the difficulty of finding an authentic certified example.
For a collector who loves the silver dollar series and the western US mint history, the 1889-CC represents the ultimate acquisition: a coin that is genuinely rare at every grade level, instantly recognized by any numismatist, and tied directly to one of the most colorful chapters of American coinage history.
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