The public question blows up why there is a 1878 silver dollar with 8 tail feathers. Meanwhile, a bald eagle commonly known has only seven tail feathers. Actually the patterns for the Morgan Dollar were designed with the correct number of 7 tail feathers but, for some unknown reason, the first Morgan Dollars were engraved with 8 tail feather, an incorrect number. The fact is that the 8 tail feather was the first 1878 Morgan silver Dollar.
After a some number of the Morgan silver coins were struck, the error which displayed 8 tail feather was detected. However, it had been too late to recall all of the silver coins which had been struck. In return, the remaining incorrect 8 tail feather dies were made correctly by the fast way of over-punching that 8 tail feather dies with a 7 Tail Feather hub. This way of correction resulted the 7/8 Tail Feathers varieties of the Morgan silver coin. The correction kept continuing and the final issues of 1878 Morgan silver dollar were of the correct display of 7 tail feathers. For that background reason, the estimated mintage for this 8 tail feathers variety may not be correct, approximate mintage is 749,500 pieces.
1878 Morgan silver dollar 8 tail feather photo: ha.com
