The Looking Glass Collection
1878 7TF REV 1879

Owner Comments:

Nice mirror reflection in the fields with a dusting of frost on the devices. Above average strike with nice definition in the Eagles wings.



This design type uses the seven tail feather C reverse with round eagle's breast and slanted arrow feathers that was used on later years from 1879 to 1904. A few die varieties exist but none are very signifcant or scarce. The exceptions are VAM 220 which is rare, VAM 203 which is fairly scarce and VAM 222-some of which have the unusually low edge reeding count of 168(lowest of any Morgan except the 1921-P infrequent reeding which has 157) Only about a half dozen 1878 proofs with the rounded breast reverse are known. From Treasury Department records, 50 proof Morgan dollars were delivered on November 8, 1878. These would have been the round breast reverse type since the Philadelphia Mint had been using this type since June of that year. It is the rarest of the P-Mint proof Morgan dollars from 1878-1904. All are VAM 215 variety. These proofs exibit the deep mirrors with white cameos characteristic of early Morgan dollar proofs.



Business strikes with the round breast C reverse are usually fully struck. Prooflike specimens are scarcer than for the 8TF and 7TF breast type because the die life was much longer for this design type. Some prooflikes with the C reverse show very deep mirrors and excellent cameo contrast.