who is on the morgan silver dollar

[DelMarley]

Ah, the Morgan Silver Dollar, a classic case of numismatic mistaken identity! While the coin is named after its brilliant designer, George T. Morgan, he isn't the one whose face is stamped on the obverse. He just got the naming rights, which is a pretty good deal.

The lovely visage on the front is actually Lady Liberty, but she had a real-life stand-in. The profile belongs to a Philadelphia schoolteacher named Anna Willess Williams. Apparently, Morgan thought she had the perfect "American" profile, a departure from the more Greek-looking figures on previous coins.

Funnily enough, Miss Williams was a bit camera-shy and had to be persuaded by a friend to sit for the design. She posed in secret and was reportedly not thrilled when her identity was eventually revealed to the public. So, you're looking at a depiction of Liberty, modeled by a reluctant teacher who became one of the most famous anonymous faces in American history.