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Images courtesy of Heritage
Numismatic Auctions, Inc.
The F.U.N. 2000 Sale, January 5-7, 2000, Lot 7269, NGC
PR-65, unsold
Recent appearances:
PCGS Proof-65. Ex - Bowers and Merena Galleries' Robert W. Schwan
Collection Sale, October 26-27, 2000, Lot 1486, "8 Tail
Feathers", sold for $5,060.00 From the Bowers and Merena Rarities Sale, January
2000, Lot 230
Proof-63. Ex - Bowers & Merena Galleries' "The Cabinet of
Lucien M. LaRiviere, Part II", March 15-17, 2001, Lot 368, "8
Tailfeathers", sold for $2,530.00
Choice Brilliant Proof. Ex - Stack's "65th Anniversary
Sale", October 17-19, 2000, Lot 1187, "8TF", plated, sold
for $1,092.50
PCGS MS-66. Ex - Heritage
Numismatic Auctions, Inc.'s "Philadelphia 2000 Signature Sale",
August 6-7, 2000, Lot 6223, "8 Tail Feathers", illustrated, sold
for $9,200.00
NGC MS-65.
Ex - Superior Galleries'
"Pre-Long Beach Sale", October 1-3, 2000, Lot 3577, "8 Tail
Feathers", illustrated, sold for $833.75
NGC MS-65. Ex
- Superior Galleries' "Pre-Long Beach Sale", October 1-3, 2000, Lot
3578, "8 Tail Feathers", not illustrated, sold for $805.00
NGC MS-65. Ex - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc.'s
"The California Sale", October 2-3, 2000, Lot 1785, "8
Tail Feathers", sold for $834.00
NGC MS-65. Ex- Heritage Numismatic Auctions, Inc.'s "October
2000 Long Beach Sale" October 5-7, 2000, Lot 8165, "8 Tail
Feathers", not illustrated, sold for $891.25
PCGS MS-65. Ex - Bowers & Merena Galleries' "The Rarities
Sale", January 3, 2001, Lot 279, illustrated, not sold
PCGS MS-65. Ex - Bowers & Merena Galleries' "The Lake
Geneva Sale", June 28-29, 2001, Lot 1016, not illustrated, sold for
$1,150.00
NGC MS-65. Ex - Bowers & Merena Galleries' "The Lake Geneva
Sale", June 28-29, 2001, Lot 1017, not illustrated, not sold
NGC MS-64 Deep Prooflike. Ex - Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins &
Collectibles, Inc.'s "Benson Collection, Part I", February 16,
18-20, 2001, Lot 1993, not illustrated, sold for $805.00
Very Choice Brilliant Uncirculated. Ex - Stack's "The
University of Notre Dame Sale", March 20-21, 2001, Lot 462, "8
TailFeathers", not plated, sold for $109.25
Choice Brilliant
Uncirculated and approaching a Gem classification. Ex -
Stack's "65th Anniversary Sale", October 17-19, 2000, Lot 1306,
"8 Tail Feathers", not plated, sold for $103.50
Choice Brilliant Uncirculated. Ex- Stack's "The September
Sale", September 12-13, 2000, Lot 634, " 8 Tail Feathers",
sold for $115.00
Notes:
The 8 Tail Feather variety illustrates how minute details can often
become stumbling blocks. Apparently, a bald eagle has only seven
tail feathers. When patterns for the Morgan Dollar were designed
and struck, the eagle on the reverse displayed the correct number of
tail feathers - seven (see Judd 1550 and 1552). However, for some
unknown reason, the dies
for the first Morgan Dollars were engraved with an incorrect number of
tail feathers - eight, to be exact. After a substantial number of
coins were struck, the error was detected. By then, it was too
late to recall any of the coins that had already been struck, but the
remaining 8 Tail Feather dies were corrected by over-punching them with a 7
Tail Feather hub, resulting in the 7/8 Tail Feathers varieties.
The final issues of 1878 were of the anatomically correct 7 Tail Feather
variety!
The estimated mintage for
this variety may be incorrect because this
variety shows up in the market more frequently than any other of the year, even though other varieties (like the 1878 7 Tail
Feathers, Reverse of 1878) have estimated mintages as high as seven
times as much.
In Uncirculated
condition, this variety appears most often in MS-63, with MS-62 and MS-64
nearly tied for second place. The finest examples graded by the Professional Coin
Grading Service are a single MS-67, 10 MS-65
Prooflikes, and 1 MS-66 Deep Mirror Prooflikes. Proofs are
generally available and the number of known examples is consistent with
the estimated mintage.
Proofs of this variety are
rather scarce- they enjoy the third lowest mintage of the entire series
(excluding branch mint and the Zerbe and Chapman Proofs).
Coincidentally, they also have the third lowest population of Morgan
Dollar Proofs graded by PCGS. The finest Proof example graded by
PCGS is a single PR-67.
Sources and
recommended reading:
"The PCGS Population Report, May 2000" by The
Professional Coin Grading Service
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