Morgan and Peace dollars
The Morgan dollar (1878–1904, and again 1921) and the Peace dollar (1921–1935) are the two classic US silver dollars, each containing about 0.77 troy ounces of silver. Common dates are affordable and give you a large, beautiful coin with an intrinsic silver floor, while a deep run of dates and mint marks provides endless collecting goals.
Both were struck at multiple mints (Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, Carson City, Denver), and the mint mark — on the reverse below the eagle — is central to both identification and value.
Key dates and where value lives
Most Morgan and Peace dollars are common, but the keys command strong premiums: the 1893-S and 1889-CC Morgans are five-figure rarities, and Carson City ("CC") coins carry a premium across the board for their frontier romance. In Peace dollars, the 1928 and the high-relief 1921 stand out.
Beyond keys, condition drives value: a common date worth its silver in worn grades can bring large premiums in gem uncirculated. Grade and mint mark, together, decide where any silver dollar lands.
Grading and buying silver dollars
Check the high points — Liberty’s hair above the ear and the eagle’s breast on Morgans — for wear, and look hard for cleaning, which is common on these popular coins and cuts value sharply. For valuable dates, buy PCGS or NGC-graded examples to guarantee authenticity and grade, as silver dollars are also counterfeited.
Common-date "cull" and circulated dollars are a fine, affordable start; save the certified keys for when your grading eye is trained.
Collect silver dollars with CoinVault Pro
CoinVault Pro identifies your silver dollar, reads the mint mark, flags key dates, estimates the grade and shows real eBay sold prices — so you know instantly whether a dollar is a common bullion-value coin or a valuable key.
Build a Morgan or Peace dollar set with a wishlist of the dates and mints you still need, and track its value over time. CoinVault Pro is free to download, GDPR-compliant, and hosted in the EU.