Mintage: 4,900,000
- 1896 Silver Dollar No Mint Mark
- 1896 Silver Dollar New Orleans
- 1896 Silver Dollar Value Morgan Silver Dollar
USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 1896-O Morgan Silver Dollar is Worth $39 in Average Condition and can be Worth $1,639 to $187,464 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. Click here to Learn How to use Coin Price Charts. Also, click here to Learn About Grading Coins. USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 1896 Morgan Silver Dollar is Worth $35 in Average Condition and can be Worth $61 to $281 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. Proof Coins can be Worth $3,068 or more. Click here to Learn How to use Coin Price Charts. Also, click here to Learn About Grading Coins.
Finest Known: MS65 (NGC) MS66 (PCGS)
Auction Record: $345,000 (MS66)
1896 was the first year since 1892 that the New Orleans Mint produced more than two million Morgan dollars. Most 1896-O Morgan dollars went into circulation because of the low mintages of previous years. The New Orleans Mint retained some bags of 1896-O Morgans, which were sent to Treasury vaults after the Mint ceased operations.
Some bags of 1896-O Morgan dollars were released in the 1950s. Others showed up during the 1960s, but there was no interest in them. This is because coins from this mintage were almost universally unattractive.
Circulated 1896-O Morgan dollars are easy to find. PCGS estimates that there are only 23,000 surviving Mint State 1896-O Morgan dollars, and only eight of those are MS65 or higher. This makes the 1896-O one of the most rare Morgan dollars in high mint state.
In 2005, PCGS determined that all 1896-O, 1900-O and 1902-O Silver Dollars with so-called 'Micro o' mintmarks were counterfeit. This announcement was based on the discovery that all three dates shared common die markers.
The Value of an 1896-O Morgan Dollar
The 1896-O Morgan dollar unfortunately displays the poor, weak strikes and below average luster that was common among New Orleans Mint coins. As the majority of 1896-O Morgans were released into commerce, circulated examples are plentiful and cheap.
Surviving Mint State 1896-O Morgan dollars suffered from their being shipped from Mint storage in New Orleans to Washington DC and the Philadelphia Mint. As a result, the vast majority of Mint State coins grade no better than MS61 or MS62. Even so, these lower Mint State coins cost around $2,000. The weak strikes of most 1896-O Morgan dollars accounts for the almost non-existent number of coins MS65 and above.
1896-O Morgan Dollar Price Guide
| Very Fine 25 | Extremely Fine 45 | About Uncirculated 55 |
|---|---|---|
| $41 | $81 | $195 |
| Mint State 61 | Mint State 63 | Mint State 65 | Auction Record (MS66) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,810 | $4,440 | $163,400 | $345,000 |
1896 Silver Dollar No Mint Mark
The information on this page does not constitute an offer to buy or sell the coin(s) referred to. Statistics are for Mint State coins only. Proof and prooflike examples of this issue may have greater or lesser 'finest known' and different record auction prices.
Peace Silver Dollar
As coin dealers, we’re frequently asked to provide an estimated value of silver dollars based on the year of the coin. While the year of the coin can certainly impact the value, a greater determining factor is the coin’s mint mark, or where the coin was minted. You may have been asked in the past for the mint mark of your coin, and wondered where it was located and how it affects the value of your coin. If so, and you’re still not sure of the answer to these questions, then this article is for you!
For purposes of this article, we’ll be referring to Morgan silver dollars and Peace silver dollars, which were minted from 1878 – 1921 and 1921 – 1935, respectively. Both coins have an image of Lady Liberty on the front and an eagle on the back, but the location of the mint mark (if the coin has one) is located in different areas.
Morgan and Peace silver dollars were minted at a total of five U.S. Mints, including Carson City, Denver, San Francisco, New Orleans and Pennsylvania. The mintage location can be determined by studying the coin. Carson City silver dollars are identified by a “CC” mint mark, Denver silver dollars by a “D,” San Francisco silver dollars by an “S,” New Orleans silver dollars by an “O,” and Philadelphia silver dollars by the omission of a mint mark.
The mint mark for Morgan and Peace silver dollars can be found on the reverse side of the coin. The mint mark for Morgan silver dollars is located at the bottom center of the coin below the wreath while the mint mark on Peace silver dollars can be found below the word “ONE.” It’s common for silver dollars to not contain mint marks, which means that they were minted in Philadelphia, as the Philadelphia mint was the largest producer of silver dollars in more years than not.
Now that we know where the mint mark is located and how to identify where the silver dollar was minted, the next step is to determine if you have a common date, semi key date, or key date coin. Most silver dollars had a mintage of well into the millions, making them common date coins. Some had a lower mintage (one to two million), and are typically referred to as semi key date coins, while others had a mintage of less than a million, and are typically referred to as key date or rare coins.
1896 Silver Dollar New Orleans
1896 Silver Dollar Value Morgan Silver Dollar
With respect to Morgan silver dollars, all Carson City minted coins are considered semi key date or key date coins. Other lower mintage Morgan silver dollars include the 1886-S, 1888-S, 1889-S, 1893-S, 1893-O, 1894, 1895, 1895-S, 1895-O, and 1899. The king of the Morgan silver dollars is the 1895 plain (no mint mark), which has a starting price of $20,000 in average circulated condition. All of the 1895 plain Morgan silver dollars were proofs. Most were destroyed and only a handful made their way into circulation.
Even though the mintage of some Peace silver dollars rivaled the mintage of Morgan silver dollars, only a couple of the coins are considered key date coins in circulated condition. This includes the 1921 Peace dollar, which was the only high relief Peace silver dollar minted, and the 1928 Peace dollar. The latter was the lowest minted Peace silver dollar with a mintage of 360,000 coins. While only a couple of the coins are considered key date coins in circulated condition, several others, including the 1924-S, 1928-S, 1934-S and 1935-S Peace silver dollars are considered key date coins in uncirculated condition.
In summary, the year of mintage of your Morgan or Peace silver dollar only tells half the story. The mint at which the coin was produced is the key factor in determining whether you have a common date, semi key date, or rare silver dollar on your hands. Remember that not all silver dollars contain a mint mark, and if by chance you happen to be lucky enough to come across an 1895 Morgan silver dollar without a mint mark, you likely have a five figure coin in your possession. The other Morgan and Peace silver dollars highlighted above also have values that well exceed the silver content of your coins.