Click Thumbnails to Enlarge
Coin collectors have long believed Anna W. Williams was the model for George Morgan’s 1878 silver dollar design, but was she?
It was a time when any female who modeled for an artist was lumped with immoral and fallen women. The public morality enjoyed praise for allegorical female figures in painting, architecture and sculpture, but heaped collective scorn if the same creation was identified as a specific woman. Anna W. Williams, known to her friends as “Nannie,” was caught in this hypocritical morality. She left no written expression of its emotional effects, but we know that she and her friends denied the accusations. To do anything else would have meant personal humiliation and ruin.
Within a year of the first release of George Morgan’s silver dollar design in 1878, Philadelphia newspapers were speculating about identity of the woman who posed for the Liberty portrait. Speculative reports were that a local woman, Anna W. Williams, had modeled for Morgan and it was her profile depicted on the new coin. Reporters interviewed Miss Williams and some of her friends, but could find no definitive answer – so they invented stories based on a few scarce facts. Curiously, one newspaper, at the close of a lengthy article, admitted that the dollar’s Miss Liberty did not resemble Miss Williams, but looked more like Morgan’s wife.
But such little touches of reality never deterred speculative “truth.” Until the time of her death in 1926, Anna Williams was followed by a plague of tall tales, and innuendo that left little doubt that she had compromised her feminine morals and modeled for an artist.
Roger W. Burdette’s latest research book, Girl on the Silver Dollar, is a search for truth after over 140 years of confusion. More than a decade of patient research, investigation and validation have produced a meaningful story of real people, behaving as people do in their daily lives. That Nannie modeled for George Morgan in October 1876, just weeks after he landed in America, is clearly established. A contemporary portrait titled “Anna W. Williams” was created by Philadelphia realist painter Thomas Eakins and his future wife Susan McDonald – exactly as described by one of Nannie’s friends. Morgan’s sketch book includes untitled pencil drawings that match Nannie’s features. An engraved illustration in Harper’s Monthly Magazine from 15 years later shows Nannie older but with the same distinctive features.
Yet, none of her features resemble any part of the 1878 silver dollar Liberty portrait.
Along with images of Anna’s other modeling work, Burdette presents details of her career as teacher, advocate and later Supervisor of Kindergartens in Philadelphia’s early childhood education system.
But Girl on the Silver Dollar is more than about Anna Williams. A separate chapter chronicles the development of a new “standard silver dollar” to replace the one eliminated by the Coinage Act of 1873. Here we find Mint Director Linderman on the verge of accepting William Barber’s new Liberty portrait (often called the “Sailor Head” by pattern collectors), only to suspend work when Morgan arrived from London. Copious pattern pieces photos, descriptions and quotations bring the reader into behind-the-public-scene discussion and controversy.
Controversy is also a theme in the following chapter dedicated to uncovering the truth behind elusive 1895-P silver dollars struck for circulation. Long in demand by coin collectors, none of the 12,000 pieces struck for circulation have ever been
identified. This forced collectors to include an 1895 proof dollar in their cabinets and albums to fill that gaping hole. Normal Philadelphia Mint operations suggest the twelve bags of circulation dollars were placed in a crowded vault, then transferred to the new Philadelphia Mint sometime between 1899 and 1901. Some authors have speculated that the 1895 coins were actually dated “1894” even when ample evidence argues otherwise. The most common explanation is that all 1895 circulation dollars were indiscriminately melted during the rush to convert coins into bullion for sale to Great Britain in 1918.
The final chapter of Girl on the Silver Dollar brings us to the original and implementation of the Pittman Act of 1918. This urgently passed Act of Congress caused nearly half of all existing U.S. silver dollars to be converted into bullion and sold to Great Britain to help stabilize the economy in India during World War I. Although we know the number of silver dollars destroyed, no records were kept of coin dates or mints. Thus, a great anonymous hoard was destroyed and an equally anonymous hoard remained in Treasury vaults until the great silver dollar distribution of 1963-64. (See Burdette’s early 2019 book release, Private Pattern and Related Pieces: International Nickel & Gould Incorporated for details about the run of Treasury silver dollars.)
Together, Girl on the Silver Dollar is a feast for the eyes and minds of coin collectors everywhere. Every owner of a Morgan silver dollar who has wondered about the origin of this beloved, if somewhat stuffy Liberty portrait, will find new revelations. Ideas and facts not only about the coin but about the people who designed and manufactured theses silver dollars are found on every page. We can see the coins pilling in unwanted masses, shuttled from vault to vault, and eventually used as war-time tools for the Allied victory.
Binding: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Publication Date: July 2019
Size: 8.5x11
Pages: 135
e are going to process and ship your order fast! Most items ship from our warehouse in northern Virginia the same or next business day after your completed order and payment. We frequently are working nights, weekends and even holidays to make sure your order gets shipped promptly.
ingdom of Coinalot -- We offer free shipping by royal messenger to all addresses within the Kindom of Coinalot.
nited States -- Shipments to United States addresses are via US Postal Service (First Class, Priority or Media) or FedEx (Ground, Home Delivery or SmartPost). Shipping is free to addresses in the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia. Some heavier items may have additional shipping charges if shipped to Alaska, Hawaii, US Protectorates and APO/FPO addresses.
est of the World -- We also ship to most other countries worldwide for an additional shipping charge. If a rate to your address isn't displayed, just Contact Us and we will see what is available to your location.
ote that some items (especially chemicals) have shipping restrictions that preclude us from using some shipping methods and/or from shipping to some locations. We try to note these cases in the product description.
ursuant to the 1974 Decree from the King, all payments to businesses in Coinalot must be paid for with gold, silver or bronze coins bearing the image of the King. The King believes that mandating payment in coins is good for the coin collecting hobby.
he King amended his 1974 decree in 1999 to allow payment by PayPal or credit card (MasterCard, Visa, Discover or American Express) for transactions on eBay and the internet.
s much as we love our products, we do understand that occasionally they might not work for you. That's why virtually all of our products come with a full 30-day return privilege for any (or even no) reason. Just ship them back to us and we'll process a refund when they arrive back in our warehouse in good condition.
f a product arrives damaged or seems to not be working as it should, please Contact Us prior to starting a return as we may be able to troubleshoot and resolve the issue without putting both you and us through the trouble of a return.
hemicals and opened software are not returnable (because we can't verify the integrity of the chemicals and that the software hasn't been installed).
izard Coin Supply was founded in 2008 with the vision of being the one-stop source for any and all coin collecting supplies. Since then, our product line has broadened to encompass collecting supplies for other collectibles including stamps, comics, newspapers, magazines, records, sports cards, gaming materials, sports memorabilia and much, much more. In 2018, we brought our wide product selection and Magically Low Prices to eBay.
izard Coin Supply is an authorized distributor for over 100 of the largest collectibles supplies manufacturers and publishers. We also stock products from individual authors and "mom and pop" companies to provide the most complete inventory of collecting supplies available anywhere. Our warehouse contains over 16,000 different products! And we are constantly adding new items.
ust Contact Us if there's something you need and you don't see it currently listed in our store. There's a good chance we have it in our warehouse or can get it from one of our suppliers.
ee our About Us page for our full story and be sure to check out our eBay Store. Thanks for visiting!
o you need assistance selecting the right product?
re you looking for a gift idea?
ould you like a product recommendation?
o you have questions about your order?
ust [Contact us] to speak to one of our experts. We always answer within 24 hours and usually within just a few minutes.