US Morgan Silver Dollar  1878 to 1921
US Morgan Silver Dollar 1878 to 1921

Hello Bianca -- You have a silver dollar designed by a man named George Morgan, so collectors call coins like yours Morgan Dollars. They are highly prized collectibles.

Your 1901O specimen is a 'common date' coin like most of the dates and mint marks in this series. 1921 is the most common of the common dates, as there were hundreds of millions of the 1921 coins made. Coins with better dates, not common dates, are listed below. They are more valuable.

To figure the value of a US Morgan silver dollar, start with its basic silver value. As the US dollar weakens, the price of silver goes up, and big silver coins start to get substantial valuable from silver content alone. Each Morgan silver dollar coin contains 0.773 troy ounces of silver. Using a web site like, you can find the current price of silver per troy ounce, then multiply that price by 0.773 to calculate the base value of the coin, then add $3 or so to account for the fact that it's a US silver dollar. The value can't go lower than that. For instance, if the value of silver is $40 per troy ounce, the base silver value would be 0.773 x 40 + 3 = $34. If the value of silver is $20 per ounce, the base silver value is $18.50.

COMMON DATE MORGAN DOLLARS (coins with dates and mint marks not shown in the list below on this page):
worn: base silver value + $3 retail value
average circulated: base + $5
well preserved: base + $8
fully uncirculated: base + $15

MORGAN DOLLARS DATED 1921 (includes coins with mint marks):
circulated: base silver value + $3 retail value
fully uncirculated: base + $8

The values above are approximate retail prices, that is, prices paid by collectors or investors for Morgans they buy from coin dealers. If you want to sell your Morgan dollar to a coin dealer, he or she will pay substantially less than retail. The margin is used to keep the dealership afloat. For single coins, margins can be as high as 100%. For a large number of coins, margins can go way down.

Note: ff you have a 1921 peace silver dollar, and not a 1921 Morgan silver dollar (the picture on this page shows a Morgan dollar), you have a valuable coin. See our appraisal page for peace dollars at this link.

Never clean or polish your Morgan dollars. Cleaning, polishing, scraping, sanding, brushing, using steel wool, and all abrasive procedures ruin value.


Most dates of Morgan dollars are very common, and the discussion above applies directly. There are, however, special dates and mint marks in the Morgan dollar series. Look for the mint mark (S, O, or CC) under the wreath on the back of the coin. Those with CC mint marks (CC = Carson City, Nevada mint), command very high prices. All CC Morgans are valuable. Here is a list of 'good date' Morgans which catalog above $100 in average circulated condition. The values at the right of each date is an approximate catalog value for coins in average circulated condition. To attain these values, a coin must be free of all problems such as sratches, spots, stains, cleanings, nicks, holes, dings, scuffs, and any other kind of damage.

*SPECIAL DATES* (for common dates, see the table further up on this page)
1878CC: $100 US dollars approximate catalog value for average circulated condition
1879CC: $200
1880CC: $200
1881CC: $300
1884CC: $100
1885CC: $450
1888S: $150
1889CC: $1000
1892CC: $240
1892S: $100
1893: $200
1893CC: $550
1893O: $270
1893S: $4000
1894: $1200
1895: $31000
1895O: $400
1895S: $650
1899: $150
1902S: $100
1903O: $300
1903S: $170

Be sure you understand what 'catalog' means, as this is an inflated value. Check our Important Terminology link (upper left) for an explanation.

Hope you have an 1895!

Coin: 832 , Genre: United States
Requested by: bianca, Tue, 28-Jul-2009 23:19:55 GMT
Answered by: Paul, Thu, 09-May-2013 16:25:46 GMT
Appraisal ok, reviewed by CoinQuest, be sure to use the current value of silver, Tue, 26-Aug-2014 16:11:48 GMT
Requester description: 1901 inscription: e pluribus unum / united states of america in god we trust one dollar. devises: eagle / flowing hair of liberty
Tags: us usa morgan silver dollar siliver sliver argent silber silverish slver silb dollare doller dol dollars pluribus unum united states state america god we trust one eagle hair liberty pluribs plirbis pluribusunum epluribus plurabus urum vnvm stated stets stato stado staate statehood tates amero americas american ameria ameri amirica oamerica amerique americana amer americans gods goddess deity godess trvst ones eaglets egals eable egal eagles eag ealge eagel hairdo hairline stars star wreath tiera crown starrs greenery wreathed rief reif reef wreathe wreat garland wreth wreah wreaths crowned tiara crwon crpwn crowns tiarra crowning hawk falcon starburst burst


I have a 1894 Morgan dollar how much is that worth? - Sagar
Sagar -- 1894 is a good date for Morgan dollars, cataloging at $1200 US dollars in average circulated condition. To be worth this much, the coin MUST NOT have a mint mark. Check for a mint mark. If you see an O or S mint mark, the catalog value drops to $50 or so. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have 1878 morgan with no mint mark it worm n has a silver plate/ ring on it - roy goh kai boon
It sounds like your Morgan dollar has been mounted in a plate or damaged by affixing a ring to it. Or it has some other type of damage inflicted after it left the mint. Such coins carry no collector value, since collectors only buy undamaged coins for their collections. However, Morgan dollars are made of silver, and silver always has value. Today's silver price is about $17 US dollars per ounce, so the 0.773 ounces of silver in your coin is worth 0.773 x 17 = $13. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have a 1878 coin how much is it worth? - Rob
Value depends on the price of silver ($15 per ounce today), as explained in the 3rd paragraph on this page. - CoinQuest (Paul)

have a 1884 e pluribus Unum silver dollar copy,can u tell me what its worth? - T
Copies of coins are worth zero. If you have a genuine 1884 Morgan dollar, read this page to find out what it is worth. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have a 1891 coin but on the back right above in god we trust there is copy on this a real coin or a fake one - Kristie
That is funny. 1891 is not a particularly valuable date, so why would anyone make a copy of it? Your coin may be a fake, but maybe not. If it is genuine, it is worth at least silver bullion value, about $20. If you would like to send a picture to us, start an e-mail exchange using the Contact button at the top of the home page. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have a circulated 1879 Morgan Dollar coin is it worth anything I also have 1977 circulated and 1922 circulated - vicky
worn: base silver value + $3 retail value
average circulated: base + $4
well preserved: base + $5
fully uncirculated: base + $10

Read the page to find out how to compute base silver value.
- CoinQuest (Paul)

We have two silver dollar coins. One dated 1878 and one dated 1879. We are unable to find the mint mark in the area you advised. Could this mean that these are, possibly, only commemorative coins? - Drever
No. They are normal Morgans. Only recently does the US mint put mint marks on all coins. For decades, lack of a mint mark meant Philadelphia. That's where your coins were produced. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have a 1898 no O,S or CC marks. Its in mint condition however its dirty. How much do do think that is worth US currency? - giz
That is a common date Morgan. Values are shown on this page. See COMMON DATE MORGAN DOLLARS. You have to look up the price of silver. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have a 1921 Morgan silver dollar that I found today and it has the mint mark s on it how can I find out what it is worth? Thank you in advance - Kelly
The value is shown on this page. - CoinQuest (Paul)

so, where can I sell them? I have the 1880 and a 1888. - Frankie
You have three choices for selling coins. Choose one. To see the choices, click to out page How To Sell Coins [PRESS HERE]. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have a 1896 e pluribus unum one dollar. What is it worth. Thank you - Frankie
See COMMON DATE values on this page. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have a 1881 O coin I would like to know the worth. - Ben
Please read this page. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have an 1890 US Morgan in excellent condition, with no mark on the back. How much is it worth? - Sarah
Read the page. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have a 1882 US Morgan Silver Dollar, how much dose it worth please ? Many thanks Frankie Australia - ianmg
Please read this page. The value depends on the price of silver and the condition of the coin. - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have a 1891(O) how would it cost - Ken Cook
This 'how much is it worth' question is quite unbelievable to me ... - CoinQuest (Paul)

I have an 1881 in some sort of a ring. Should I try to take it out and look for the mint label or leave it? - Ken Cook
Coins that are mounted in jewelry cease to be coins. They become jewelry. Coin collectors will not buy them, so there is no collector value. A mint mark, if present, will not change this. Your item is still valuable, however. Take it to a jeweler for an appraisal. - CoinQuest (Paul)

There is no date on my coin unsure why ? Could u help me ? - LUD
It is a 'silver art round' worth about $20. See this page [PRESS HERE] for more info. - CoinQuest (Paul)

Hi, I do not see in the list an 1885 silver dollar with an 'O' mint mark. What would be the price? - ralph
Check out the 'COMMON DATE MORGAN DOLLARS' paragraph on this page. - CoinQuest (Todd)

I have a 1886 Morgan with an s under the wreath. Great condition. Not listed here. Value? - ralph
1886 is a common date. See info in the COMMON DATE section of this page. - CoinQuest (Paul)

My 1921 Morgan silver dollar with mint mark S also has what's referred to as over polished on the right wing. Would this make my coin more valuable? - Robin Gayle
We do not track varieties very closely (there is more and enough to do just to track normal worldwide coins, tokens, and medals!), but it sounds like a mint worker was over-forceful when cleaning up the dies used to strike your coin. If this is an acknowledge variety, then the value will be more than a normal 1921S. Do research using the 'Cherrypicker's Guide' or the 'Van Allen Mallis (VAM)' references, which are usually available at your library. Look them up on the Internet for more info. These reference books give all the acknowledged varieties and their approximate values. - CoinQuest (Andrei)






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