Morgan silver dollar value by mint
Date, mint mark, and grade are how a Morgan dollar gets sorted. A worn common date follows the silver on the melt calculator. The dates the Morgan page names are the ones to set aside.
Pull the dollar and read three things: the date, the letter on the back, and how much of the design is left. If you are still deciding whether the eagle and the wreath make it a Morgan, start with that silver dollar is a Morgan. This note is the date and the mint mark. Year-by-year counts stay on the Morgan dollar page.
Where the letter sits
Turn the coin over. The mint mark, when there is one, sits on the reverse below the wreath, above the "DO" in DOLLAR. Numista's Morgan type page prints that spot. PCGS CoinFacts puts the same letter just beneath the ribbon bow of the wreath. Philadelphia coins in the original series are blank there.
The letters on an original Morgan
The Morgan page names the mints in the original series. No letter is Philadelphia. O is New Orleans. S is San Francisco. CC is Carson City. D is Denver, and on this series the D shows up in 1921.
A blank spot is Philadelphia, so read the date with it. The chart lists 1894 with no mint mark at 110,972, and it bolds that row. An 1887 with no mint mark is a different row: 20,290,710, and the chart leaves it unmarked. Same kind of blank. Different date.
1889 makes the same point with a letter. The chart lists 1889 Philadelphia at 21,726,811, unmarked. It lists 1889-CC at 350,000 and bolds it. Carson City is a mint. The chart names some CC dates and leaves others unmarked. Read the row for the coin in your hand.
1921 is the year the designs overlap. Denver's D on an original Morgan is that year. The Morgan page prints the 1921 pamphlet dollar counts, which still mix Morgan and Peace. Read the eagle. The Morgan note walks through that year, and the Peace dollar page keeps the Peace count on its own chart.
2021 and the later Mint dollars
The circulation series runs 1878 through 1904, then 1921. In 2021 the Mint struck Morgan dollars again for that anniversary. The Mint's release lists five versions. Three were struck at Philadelphia: one with no mint mark, one with a Carson City privy mark, and one with a New Orleans privy mark. Denver used a D. San Francisco used an S. That release says the old Carson City and New Orleans mints were closed, and no 2021 Morgan was struck in those cities. The Mint's anniversary page describes the O and CC marks as privy marks, raised ovals with the old letters incused.
Each 2021 Morgan in that release is 99.9 percent silver, which the Mint prints as .999 silver, with an uncirculated finish and a product limit of 175,000. In 2023 the Mint offered the design again. The uncirculated release was struck at Philadelphia, 99.9 percent silver, production limited to 275,000. The proof release was struck at San Francisco, 99.9 percent silver, production limited to 400,000.
Those later coins are collector issues. The circulation chart stops at 1921. A CC privy on a 2021 coin is the Philadelphia anniversary piece. An original CC Morgan is the Carson City coin on the chart.
The silver in a circulation Morgan
Circulation Morgans are 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. Numista's type page prints 26.73 g, 38.1 mm, and silver at .900, and it prints the old standard weight of 412.5 grains. Stack's Bowers prints the same 26.73 g, 38.1 mm, and 90 percent silver. The melt calculator uses 0.77344 troy ounces of fine silver for a Morgan or Peace dollar, which rounds to about 0.7734 troy ounces. The junk silver note walks the arithmetic from that 412.5-grain standard to the calculator's figure. Open the calculator for the metal. The number there moves with the spot it fetched. A local dealer will make you an offer on the coin in hand.
A worn common date is the coin a shop prices from that silver. The chart lists 1881-S at 12,760,000 and 1887 Philadelphia at 20,290,710, and it does not mark either row. A higher grade is a different conversation. The Morgan page says a common date in a high grade can cost more than a better date that is chewed up. Look at the hair over Liberty's ear, the lines in the cap, and the eagle's breast. Those spots go flat first. Bag marks on the cheek come from other dollars in a bag. Leave the coin as it is. Grades are in the glossary, including proof. A slab is one service's opinion in a holder.
The calculator's Morgan line is the original 90 percent dollar. A 2021 or later Mint Morgan is 99.9 percent silver. The silver weight for that coin is on the Mint's product page.
Dates the chart marks
These are the dates the Morgan page names first. The figures are the chart's Bureau of the Mint manufacture counts. A bold row on that chart is a key. A quieter mark is a semi-key. PCGS CoinFacts names 1889-CC, 1893-S, and the 1895 proof as key dates in the series.
1889-CC. Carson City. The chart lists 350,000 and bolds it.
1893-S. San Francisco. The chart lists 100,000 and bolds it. That is the smallest circulation figure in this list.
1893-CC. Carson City. The chart lists 677,000 and marks it semi-key.
1894. No mint mark. The chart lists 110,972 and bolds it. A blank spot is still one of the bold rows.
1895. No mint mark. The chart lists 12,880 and bolds it. The proof note is below.
1895-O. New Orleans. The chart lists 450,000 and marks it semi-key.
1895-S. San Francisco. The chart lists 400,000 and marks it semi-key.
1895 needs both numbers. The chart prints 12,880 for Philadelphia, and the row note says PCGS and NGC treat 1895 as proof only. PCGS CoinFacts prints a proof mintage of 880 and says mint records show 12,000 circulation strikes. Those two figures add to the chart's 12,880. Numista prints the same 880 as proof only. The 12,880 is the pamphlet line. The 880 is the proof figure those references print.
The chart also marks 1879-CC, 1884-S, 1892-S, 1893-O, and 1903-S more quietly. Those figures stay on the Morgan page. 1878 eight-tail-feather and seven-tail-feather is a variety on that page. It is a design difference, separate from this date list.
Take the coin to a shop
Sort the common worn dates from the dates above, and leave every coin in the holder it arrived in. The metal figure is the melt calculator. An offer on the coin in hand comes from a person who buys coins. The coin dealer directory lists public shops, including Ohio coin dealers. A coin show puts several tables in one afternoon. If the box is a collection rather than one dollar, start with how to sell a coin collection.
People Also Ask
Where is the mint mark on a Morgan dollar?
On the reverse, below the wreath, above the DO in DOLLAR. Philadelphia coins in the original series are blank in that spot. The dates and letters are on the Morgan dollar page.
What do the Morgan mint marks stand for?
No letter is Philadelphia. O is New Orleans. S is San Francisco. CC is Carson City. D is Denver, on the 1921 Morgan. The 2021 Mint coins use a D, an S, and O and CC privy marks on Philadelphia strikes. If the date is 1921, read the eagle first. The Morgan note is that step.
How much silver is in an original Morgan dollar?
Circulation coins are 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper, at 26.73 grams. The melt calculator uses 0.77344 troy ounces of fine silver, about 0.7734 troy ounces. A 2021 or later Mint Morgan is 99.9 percent silver, so use the Mint's figure for that coin.
Which Morgan dates does this site name first?
The Morgan page names 1889-CC, 1893-S, 1893-CC, 1894, 1895, 1895-O, and 1895-S. The chart bolds 1889-CC, 1893-S, 1894, and 1895. It marks 1893-CC, 1895-O, and 1895-S more quietly.
Why does the 1895 Morgan have two figures?
The chart prints 12,880 for 1895 Philadelphia. The Morgan page says PCGS and NGC treat circulation 1895 as proof only. PCGS prints 880 for that proof, and it says mint records show 12,000 circulation strikes. Those two figures add to 12,880.
Where do I check the silver and get an offer?
The metal figure is the melt calculator. Take the coin to a shop or a show. Browse coin dealers, including Ohio coin dealers, or see upcoming coin shows. A local dealer will make you an offer.