The Morgan dollar is one of those coins loved by collectors and investors alike.
These large, silver coins are very popular in uncirculated condition.
Scarce dates are sought after in almost any grade.
The Morgan dollar value has been volatile.
Morgan Dollars
The Morgan dollar was among the coins that saw the steepest declines in the wake of a coin market crash in 1989. Some Morgan dollar values have since risen.
The rise in bullion value is substantially behind some of the price increases of the most common Morgan dollar dates.
Increases in both scarcity and demand have fueled price increases in other areas.
Morgan Dollar Values In 1994 vs. In 2009
Taking a look back at the coin market, you can see how well these coins have performed over the past 15 years.
Using Morgan dollar prices from the 1994 and 2009 editions of A Guide Book of United States Coins, by R.S. Yeoman and Kenneth Bressett, let’s compare the prices of yesteryear to those of today.
Morgan dollar prices are up all across the board over the past 15 years. Therefore, for the sake of space, let’s pick out just 10 (of the many) performers that have really shone on the investment stage.
While you may be familiar with “O” (New Orleans) and “S” (San Francisco) mintmarks, you may not have seen “CC” before. “CC” is the mintmark for Carson City, Nevada, which produced millions of silver dollars during its 1870-1893 operation.
- 1878-CC $30-135 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (1994)
- 1878-CC $110-375 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (2009)
- 1881-CC $100-190 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (1994)
- 1881-CC $375-600 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (2009)
- 1885-CC $170-225 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (1994)
- 1885-CC $500-700 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (2009)
- 1889-CC $265-13,000 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (1994)
- 1889-CC $1,850-36,500 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (2009)
- 1893-S $1,200-40,000 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (1994)
- 1893-S $7,250-150,000 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (2009)
- 1895-S $150-2,500 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (1994)
- 1895-S $450-6,000 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (2009)
- 1899 $30-110 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (1994)
- 1899 $120-360 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (2009)
- 1902-S $40-300 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (1994)
- 1902-S $140-700 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (2009)
- 1903-O $125-175 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (1994)
- 1903-O $360-550 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (2009)
- 1903-S $55-3,000 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (1994)
- 1903-S $160-6,500 Very Fine to Mint-State 63 (2009)
Investing In The Morgan Dollar
Now, while this is enticing data, do not use this article as investment advice. This article is intended to simply provide some insight into how the market has performed over the past 15 years.
Again, many people familiar with coin investing know that Morgan dollars took a major price tumble in 1989. Nobody knows for sure if and when a similar price crash may happen again.
That is why it is always prudent to bear in mind that the coin market is volatile and risky.
More About The Morgan Dollar Coin
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century.
I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek.
I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!
