Use of nickel (as a natural meteoric nickelâiron alloy) has been traced as far back as 3500 BCE. Nickel was first isolated and classified as a chemical element in 1751 by Axel Fredrik Cronstedt, who initially mistook the ore for a copper mineral.
One of the most powerful bankers of his era, J.P. (John Pierpont) Morgan (1837-1913) financed railroads and helped organize U.S. Steel, General Electric and other major corporations.
George Morgan was an Englishman who apprenticed at the Royal Mint for many years before being hired away by the U.S. Mint in 1876 at the age of 30. He worked under Master Engraver William Barber, but when the request came in to prepare a design for the new silver dollar, Morganâs version was preferred to that of his supervisor.