In 1893, a dozen Proof Morgan dollars were struck at the Carson City Mint. Produced with heavily polished, late state dies, these rare Branch Mint Proofs represent a sort of capstone to this western mint’s production of Morgan dollars. Wayte Raymond and Walter Breen asserted that the coins were produced to commemorate the cessation of coining operations at the facility.
The die pairing used to strike the BMPs is thought to be VAM-2. VAMWorld.com describes the pairing: “Late die stage specimens are particularly desirable as these are believed to be among the very last coins struck at the Carson City Mint. Twelve branch mint proofs are reported and were struck from a strongly re-polished stage of this marriage.”
Official records report a dozen struck, a total consistent with the number of examples identified. The coins regularly realize six-figure prices on the rare occasions they appear at auction.
1893-CC Proof Morgan dollars are part of a class of Proof coins produced at branch mints before the San Francisco Mint took over Proof coinage production in 1968. Branch Mint Proofs exist for a number of Morgan dollar dates.
