Question: What advantages does autograph collecting offer as compared to other collectibles?

Answer: Autographs have been called “frozen moments in time.” Autograph collectors are curators of history. The most personal item that one person can give is his or her signature. Anything that can be signed can be considered collectible…letters, documents, photographs, books, memorabilia, etc. Few objects give a collector opportunity to own a unique or one-of-a-kind item that is actually part of someone who is known by millions of people. That is main reason why autograph collecting has become one of fastest growing hobbies in recent years.

Question: What guidelines should I consider when purchasing autographs?

First, a little background info on Morgan silver dollar…

The Morgan silver dollar is today one of most popular of all collector coins. First minted in 1878 following passage of Bland-Alison Act, new dollar was named after its designer, George T. Morgan. Political pressure by powerful silver mining companies, in a gambit to stabilize price of their commodity at artificially high levels, created impetus driving legislative action. Bland-Alison led to overproduction of silver dollars, resulting in millions of these unused “cartwheels” languishing in bank and Treasury vaults. Indeed, few coins have ever been released under more dubious circumstances than Morgan silver dollars. Minting continued until 1904, and then again for one more year in 1921, when series finally came to a close.

For decades thereafter, Morgan dollars were largely snubbed by hobbyists. Many dates, including those in mint state condition, could be obtained for as little as $1.00. This situation shifted dramatically in 1962, when US government began selling original 1000-piece silver dollar Treasury bags to public at face value. Stories of rare dollar finds circulated widely, touching off a veritable Morgan mania. Within a matter of months, all but a small fraction of federally owned coins were transferred from government vaults to private hands, consequently expanding Morgan dollar collector base far beyond anything seen previously.

Since then, Morgan silver dollars have proudly perched themselves atop catbird seat of numismatic world. Their physical size, availability, beauty, and historical significance have consistently attracted herds of new buyers. Numerous boom-turned-bust cycles have come and gone, sometimes driven by pure speculative motives, but from a long-term perspective, most Morgan dollar prices have trended somewhat positive.

Unlike some controversial promoters in past, I do not propose purchasing Morgan silver dollars simply as investment vehicles. However, for collectors hoping to satisfy their numismatic yearnings AND acquire coins destined to be worth substantially more in future, Morgan dollars do present a few opportunities. As noted above, as a whole, Morgans have gained moderately in value over years. The crucial challenge, then, is to identify which members of this series have enjoyed best growth patterns in past. The underlying logic is clear: coins that have demonstrated strongest gains over a long period of time are coins best positioned to show similar price advancements with continued passage of time.