Coin Values Moving with Precious Metals: Up-Dated 12/9/2024: Gold $2645 | Silver $31.20
Today any 1879 Morgan silver dollar value is a minimum of $29.50 . Your old coin is heavy with over 3/4 ounce pure silver, forming a high base price.
Now add in the popularity of collecting silver dollars and collector demand, with the result, many are worth far above silver value.
Here are key factors to consider in your coin values.
Mintmarks: Evident by the chart, 1879 dollars with the "CC" mintmark are scarce today because of low production numbers when first minted. A close up image to help locate mintmarks is further down the page.
Condition: Rare coin dealers and collectors avidly search for nice condition coins. Top quality is rare and desirable, however less popular are heavily worn 1879 silver dollars, these trade close to silver value. If your coin still retains its original detail with no wear it is easily a higher value silver dollar.
Discovering rare mintmarks and high condition all contributes to how much your old silver dollar is worth.
Mintmarks are a small but important detail deciding 1879 Morgan silver dollar value. Finding your coin was struck at the Carson City mint, identified by "CC" on the reverse increases the potential value. Just below the ribbon is either an "S" for the San Francisco mint, an "O" indicating New Orleans or the "CC" mark. If none is found your coin was minted at the Philadelphia mint.
1879 Morgan Silver Dollar Values | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Condition of Coin | ||||
Date | Good | Fine | Extremely Fine | Uncirculated |
1879 Morgan Silver Dollar Values Updated | 12/9/2024 | |||
1879 | $29.50 | $29.50 | $32.75 | $65.10 |
1879 CC | $162 | $303 | $1,502 | $5,152 |
1879 O | $32.75 | $34.31 | $40.55 | $104.20 |
1879 S | $29.50 | $29.50 | $32.75 | $61.57 |
Realizing or maintaining the highest value of your old silver dollars is as easy as not doing anything, i.e. cleaning. Not… cleaning any coin is one of the safest ways of preserving value. Handle them by the edges and storing in areas that are not damp easily eliminates major causes of lowering value.
Collectors answer the question of "cleaning coins" by their actions. When considering a coin for their collection, if it has been cleaned, they pass.
Pictured are two scarce and popular 1879-CC Morgan dollars, both are slightly worn to the same degree. Importantly, even though the two are equal in the amount of wear, prices for each at auction were far from the same. Despite the desirability of Carson City dollars, past cleaning resulted in the coin on the bottom attracting a bid $276. Drawing mutable bids, the top coin with its natural surfaces sold higher at $920.
Auction results and prices always favor original and natural over cleaned examples of the same coin. Please resist the feeling, it is not necessary to clean your old coins in an effort to improve their value.
Judging the condition of your coin is one of the subtle but important parts of placing a value. Collectors are always searching for silver dollars in top condition, they study closely the amount of wear on silver dollars. In their evaluation a "grade" of its condition is assigned helping determine an accurate value. Find the closest condition-grade match to your 1879 dollar using the images.
Uncirculated: A silver dollar in "uncirculated" condition has never circulated through commerce. Showing no signs of wear, your coin should still have the look of brand new. Any loss of metal due to wear appears on Liberty's temple and coronet within the hair.
Extremely Fine: Slight wear but still sharply defined with abundant detail remaining defines the extremely fine grade. A couple of points to examine, the hair behind the ear and the large cotton blossoms just above. These should still retain ample detail but also display evidence of minor wear.
Fine: Long time use in circulation has now reduced original design detail to the point of merging. Clearly visible moderate wear describes silver dollars in "fine" condition. Liberty's hair both above and below the ear is noticeably worn, flat spots now replacing the original fine lines. Cotton blossoms next to "Y" in Liberty must show a separation from the blossom to the supporting leaves.
Good: An 1879 silver dollar in "good" condition is distinctly "flat" in appearance. The original separation of Liberty's hair and forehead has worn away. Her ear still shows, however hair above and behind is smooth and connecting to her cheek. Liberty is visible in the head band but the cotton blossoms are now lost. With the exception those minted in Carson City 1879 Morgan silver dollar value in this grade is tied to its metal content.
Date by Date
In Depth Morgan Silver Dollar Value
1878 to 1921
Morgan Silver Dollar Values | Popular and Valuable
Every collector admires these large silver coins, every collector wants one. Their popularity is immense. Worth over $28.47 each because of silver content alone. Check your coins with the grading images and value charts. Find a rare date, mintmark or a better condition coin and Morgan silver dollar values start climbing.
Silver Dollar Values | Charts Covering Years 1794-1935
Including more relating to your 1879 Morgan silver dollar value. These early dollars are becoming valuable. Easily find how much your old coins are worth.
Covering Bust Dollars beginning in 1794 next Seated dollars through Morgan and the last of the Peace silver dollars. All include value charts, alongside grading images to find the accurate value of your old dollars.
★Coin Values Discovery finds... 1879 Morgan Silver Dollar Value and...
Today there is a wide range of common to rare coin values found in your box of old coins. From your old pennies to gold coins, all US coin series are covered. Check value charts, identify mintmark locations and judge condition using grading images... all combine to accurately discover the value of your old coins.
Silver dollars, the Morgan and Peace series, are in demand by dealers. These old coins are very liquid in the coin collecting market. There are always buyers interested in purchasing your coins. Receive the highest price by separating the collectable from the bullion priced pieces. For more info see the Sell Silver Coins article.