The obverse of the Morgan Dollar features the head of Liberty, facing left. The model for Liberty is believed to be Philadelphia schoolteacher Anna Willess Williams, who had sat for Morgan on several occasions. Liberty wears a Phrygian cap with the word LIBERTY on her hair band and various agricultural elements intertwined, including stalks of wheat, bolls of cotton, and leaves of oak. There are seven stars appearing to the left of the portrait and six stars appearing to the right. The inscription E PLURIBUM UNUM appears above, with the date below. The designer’s initial, appearing as a single “M,” is found on the truncation of the neck.
The reverse design features a bald eagle with its wings outstretched, framed within a small, open wreath. The eagle’s talons grasp an olive branch and three arrows. The inscription IN GOD WE TRUST appears above the eagle. The additional inscriptions UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and ONE DOLLAR appear surrounding, separated by stars.
