1879 Morgan Silver Dollar

As with all silver coins of this era, the 1879 Morgan Silver Dollar is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper to comply with the Coinage Act of 1873 which standardized metal content for coins among other things. These were minted at New Orleans, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Carson City with the Carson City mintage being the most valuable. The 1879 Error Morgan Silver Dollar Coin Rare 1879 Morgan Silver Dollar stamped with error on reverse, minted at the San Francisco Mint. Clear holder, Deluxe Display Box. Display box measures 3-3/4' W x 1-7/8' H x 4-5/8' D. The 1879 Silver dollar was created by George T. Morgan was the engraver who became famous for designing many popular coins, including the Morgan dollars. The 1879 silver dollar was a result of the Bland-Allison Act. In the late 1850s, the first major silver discovery in the US, the Comstock Lode, nearly ended the California Gold Rush.

• 1879 Morgan Silver Dollar Price Range
• 1879 Morgan Silver Dollar Uncirculated
• 1879 Morgan Silver Dollar Value
• 1879 Cc Silver Dollar Value

1879 Morgan Silver Dollar Price Range

by Les Kendall

1879 was a notable year for the Morgan Silver Dollar. The Morgan design was first released in 1878 and production was increased by using four mints in 1879. There were a number of varieties and a very special ‘Schoolgirl’ pattern dollar.

Morgan Dollar History

The Morgan Dollar was a USA silver coin minted from 1878 to 1904 and then again in 1921. It had a currency value of one US dollar. It is quite large (38.1 mm diameter) and is 90% silver. A more detailed history of the Morgan Dollar is in our article What is a Morgan Dollar?

The name Morgan derives from the designer George T. Morgan (1845-1925). Morgan was originally from Birmingham, England and worked under William Wyon at the Royal Mint. He moved to America in 1876 to become the assistant engraver at the US Mint under William Barber.

Morgan later became Chief Engraver of the U.S. Mint from 1917 until 1925. He is probably best know for the Morgan Dollar and the ‘Schoolgirl‘ pattern dollar described below, but he designed many other coins too.

The 1879 Dollar

Following the Bland-Allison Act of 1878, the US Treasury began converting silver into coins. To meet the demand four mints were used in 1879 to produce coins:

• Philadelphia (No mint mark)
• San Francisco (Mint mark = “S”)
• New Orleans (Mint mark = “O”)
• Carson City (Mint mark = “CC”)

Mint marks were generally on the reverse just below the wreath.

Philadelphia made the most, around 14.8 million; San Francisco produced over 9 million; New Orleans almost 2.9 million and Carson City about 750,000.

San Francisco had two reverse variants. The 2nd Reverse had one side that had a top arrow feather that runs parallel while the other side has a concave breast. The 3rd Reverse had one side with slanted top arrow feather and a convex breast on the other side.

Carson City had a few problems with the mintmark and are usually classified as CC over CC or Clear CC.

Most of the 1879 coins are affordable except for the Carson City strikes which are a considerably higher price (maybe 10x).

1879 Morgan Silver Dollar Uncirculated

The 1879 Schoolgirl Silver Dollar (Pattern)

George Morgan also created a pattern for another dollar. The coin shows a youthful looking Lady Liberty facing left with her hair tied with a ribbon with LIBERTY inscribed in her hair band. She wears a string of pearls.

The pattern was known to have been struck both in silver and copper. It is a very rare coin, with perhaps only 10-15 in existence. We’re talking big money here. Watch out for fakes.

Coin Values Moving with Precious Metals: Up-Dated 2/8/2021: Gold $1813 Silver $26.90

Today any 1879 Morgan silver dollar value is a minimum of $25.44 . 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.

Preserving Your 1879 Morgan Silver Dollar Value

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.

Judge Condition to Accurately Value Your 1879 Dollar

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.

Coin Values CoinStudy Articles

Date by Date
In Depth Morgan Silver Dollar Value
1878 to 1921

Every collector admires these large silver coins, every collector wants one. Their popularity is immense. Worth over $24.55 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.

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.

1879 Morgan Silver Dollar Value

★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.

Preparing to Sell Silver Coins

1879 Cc Silver Dollar Value

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.