Ned Ludd Coins » 1886 Silver Dollar Value: are “O”, “S”, No mint mark worth money?

1886 Silver Dollar Value: are “O”, “S”, No mint mark worth money?

Do you have an 1886 silver dollar and are wondering how much it’s worth? Or perhaps you’re interested in buying one and want to know how much you’ll need to pay. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

We’re going to explore the 1886 silver dollar value. We’ll look at how much different varieties are worth, and what difference condition makes to the figure. And we’ll investigate the history of this beautiful coin along the way.

Ready to find out more? Step this way!

1886 Silver Dollar Details

  • Category: Morgan dollars
  • Mints: Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco
  • Total mintage: 31,423,000
  • Obverse designer: George T. Morgan
  • Reverse designer: George T. Morgan
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Diameter: 38.1 millimeters (1.5 inches)
  • Thickness: 2.9 millimeters (0.09 inches)
  • Composition: 90% sillver, 10% copper
  • Weight: 26.73 grams

 

1886 Silver Dollar Value Chart

Mint mark Extremely fine  MS63 MS65 MS67
1886 (P) No Mint Mark Silver Dollar Value $46 $96

Prooflike: $200

Deep Mirror Prooflike: $275

$265

Prooflike: $425

Deep Mirror Prooflike: $1,050

$1,400

Prooflike: $6,500

Deep Mirror Prooflike: $15,000

1886 O Silver Dollar Value $110 $3,850

Prooflike: $14,000

Deep Mirror Prooflike: $20,000

$285,000 n/a

 

1886 S Silver Dollar Value $160 $700

Prooflike: $850

Deep Mirror Prooflike: $3,000

$2,400

Prooflike: $4,750

Deep Mirror Prooflike: $30,000

 

$63,500

1886 Silver Dollar Values and Varieties Guides

1886 (P) No Mint Mark Silver Dollar Value 

1886 (P) No Mint Mark Silver Dollar Value 
Image: pcgs
  • Type: Morgan dollar
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Mint mark: None
  • Place of minting: Philadelphia
  • Year of minting: 1886
  • Face value: $1
  • $ price: $32 to $20,000
  • Quantity produced: 19,963,000
  • Designer: George T. Morgan

Over 19 million dollars were struck at the mint facility in Philadelphia in 1886. At that time, it was the largest mintage of silver dollars ever struck there.

Philadelphia dollars can be identified by looking for a mint mark – or rather, the absence of one. Coins from New Orleans or San Francisco will have a small “O” or “S” on the reverse. Look for it just above the “D” and “O” of “DOLLAR”. But Philadelphia dollars don’t have a mint mark.

In later years, millions of these silver dollars were melted down. It’s generally estimated that about 10 per cent of the original mintage survives.

That would mean about 2 million 1886 Philadelphia silver dollars are still out there. So perhaps it’s not surprising that, even over a century later, it’s not too difficult to find one. And that means values are surprisingly modest at all but the highest grades.

Coin graders the PCGS value an 1886 Philadelphia dollar graded “extremely fine” (XF45) at just $46. And even uncirculated coins – known as mint state – are relatively affordable. An example graded MS65, the lowest grade known as “gem quality”, is worth about $265.

Finer quality strikes are known as “prooflike”, while even finer examples are designated “deep mirror prooflike”. These designations, abbreviated to PL and DMPL respectively, add a significant premium to values.

A prooflike 1886 silver dollar graded MS63 is worth about twice as much as one without the prooflike designation. And a deep mirror prooflike coin at the same grade is worth about three times as much as an undesignated one.

The premium at the finest grades is even higher. At MS67, an 1886 Philadelphia silver dollar designated deep mirror prooflike is worth almost 11 times as much as a “standard” example.

The auction record for an 1886 silver dollar from Philadelphia was set in 2015 for a coin graded MS68. That sold for a shade over $27,000.

The finest quality examples known to exist are a single coin graded MS68+, and a deep mirror prooflike coin graded MS67+. Today, the PCGS values both examples at $20,000.

1886 O Silver Dollar Value

1886 O Silver Dollar Value
Image: usacoinbook
  • Type: Morgan dollar
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Mint mark: O
  • Place of minting: New Orleans
  • Year of minting: 1886
  • Face value: $1
  • $ price: $32 to $925,000
  • Quantity produced: 10,710,000
  • Designer: George T. Morgan

New Orleans produced just over half as many 1886 silver dollars as the Philadelphia mint. But with over a million still likely to survive, it’s still possible to acquire one for a modest price.

The cheapest examples are in poor condition, graded 3 or 4. They can be picked up for about $32. The very poorest examples, graded 1 and 2, have their own collectors, and are considerably more expensive. An 1886 New Orleans silver dollar graded 1 is valued at about $200.

Values increase at higher grades. And prooflike or deep mirror prooflike coins are more valuable again.

It’s considerably more difficult to find uncirculated 1886 silver dollars from New Orleans than from Philadelphia. The lowest quality mint state coin, MS60, is valued at around $1,400.

The finest example known to exist is a deep mirror prooflike coin graded MS67. It stands head and shoulders above the next finest DMPL example, which is graded MS64. It was last sold at auction in 2020, fetching a record-breaking $780,000. And today the PCGS values it at an astonishing $925,000.

1886 S Silver Dollar Value

1886 S Silver Dollar Value

  • Type: Morgan dollar
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Mint mark: S
  • Place of minting: San Francisco
  • Year of minting: 1886
  • Face value: $1
  • $ price: $32 to $63,500
  • Quantity produced: 750,000
  • Designer: George T. Morgan

The San Francisco mint facility produced just three quarters of a million silver dollars in 1886. At the time, it was the smallest mintage of Morgan dollars ever produced there.

Very few of the coins are thought to have been released for circulation at the time. And many thousands are likely to have been melted down in later years. As a result, prices for circulated coins are generally higher than for their Philadelphia and New Orleans counterparts.

A circulated 1886 San Francisco silver dollar graded extremely fine (XF45) is worth around $160. That’s more than three times as much as the equivalent coin from Philly.

In mint state, most coins are graded in the MS60 to MS63 range. An MS60 example is valued by the PCGS at $350, rising to $700 at MS63.

The finest known examples are three coins graded MS67. None of these have the prooflike or deep mirror prooflike designations. They’re valued at $63,500 apiece.

Amongst prooflike examples, the finest known are four coins graded MS66 and each valued at $16,000.

For deep mirror prooflikes, condition also tops out at MS66. The last time such a coin was auctioned was in 1999. It sold then for $3,738. The PCGS doesn’t hazard a guess at its value today. But it can be safely assumed to be higher than the $30,000 value it places on a DMPL graded MS65.

Also Read: Top 21 Most Valuable 2000 P Sacagawea Dollar Coin Worth Money

History of the 1886 Silver Dollar

History of the 1886 Silver Dollar

The 1886 silver dollar is one of a series known as Morgan dollars. The coins get their name from their designer, George T. Morgan.

The first Morgan dollars were produced in 1878. They continued in an unbroken run until 1904, and were brought back for a single year in 1921. In 2021, they were again issued as collectors’ items, the release marking 100 years since their last issue.

The coins were created in response to a campaign by the mining industry, which was seeking a secure market for its silver. Industrialists wanted to force the Mint to buy any silver presented to it.

The result was the Bland-Allison Act. This required the Mint to buy a set value of silver – between 2 and 4 million dollars – every month. It was then obliged to turn this silver into coins.

As a result of the legislation, huge volumes of Morgan dollars were produced every year. The silver dollars produced in 1886 were minted under this regime.

But in 1918, with a glut of silver coins in circulation, the Pittman Act authorised them to be melted down. The aim was to use the proceeds to provide financial support to the British government. It’s believed that around 90 per cent of silver coins met their fate in this way.

Also Read: Top 19 Most Valuable Morgan Dollars Worth Money

1886 Silver Dollar Grading

As we’ve seen, coin condition plays a huge part in determining value.

The coin grading scale goes from 1 to 70. A coin graded 1 is in the poorest condition, with most of the detail of the design worn away. Just enough remains to enable the coin grader to identify the coin’s type, date and mintmark. A coin graded 70, on the other hand, is in perfect condition.

Some coin grading agencies also use half grades. The PCGS, for example, allows “plus” to be added to grades from 45 upwards. A coin graded 65+, for example, will be finer than a standard 65, but not good enough to be graded 66.

The numbers also relate to descriptions. A coin graded one, for example, is “poor” (abbreviated to PO1). As the numbers increase, the descriptions move through good, very good, fine, extremely fine, about uncirculated, and mint state.

One other thing to be aware of is that there are a number of counterfeit Morgan dollars on the market. This YouTube video from ModernMiner shows you how to check whether your coin is the real deal.

1886 Silver Dollar Errors

1886 (P) No Mint Mark Silver Dollar 3+2 Clashed Reverse

1886 (P) No Mint Mark Silver Dollar 3+2 Clashed Reverse
Image: ebay

This error is one of the 1886 silver dollar varieties that adds to a coin’s value. It’s known by the VAM number 1C.

The error occurred because the dies used to strike the obverse and reverse designs weren’t precisely parallel. As a result, “die clash” marks were made on the surface of the coin during the striking process.

The error is known as the “3+2 clashed reverse”. The numbers refer to the dies used to strike the coin. The clash marks are on the reverse, to the right of the eagle’s right wing.

A coin with this error will be worth around $35 dollars more than one without it. Expect to pay around $80 for a coin graded about uncirculated (AU55).

The auction record was set in 2022 for a coin graded MS65 with the deep mirror prooflike designation. That sold on eBay for $1,137.

1886 (P) No Mint Mark Doubled Arrows

1886 (P) No Mint Mark Doubled Arrows
Image: pcgs

The “doubled arrows” error on 1886 Philadelphia dollars is known by the code VAM17. As the name suggests, it can be identified by a double image of the arrows on the reverse of the coin. You’ll need a coin loupe or microscope to spot it.

The doubling was caused by an error in the manufacture of the die used to strike the coin reverse. That had to be struck several times to capture every element of the design. But it moved slightly between strikes, leaving the double image of the arrows. This was then transferred to the coins it struck.

The auction record for this variety was set in 2016 for a deep mirror prooflike dollar graded MS65. It sold for $940.

1886 (P) No Mint Mark Doubled Date

1886 (P) No Mint Mark Doubled Date
Image: pcgs

The VAM20 sports another double die error, this time on the obverse. In this case, the evidence of doubling is seen on the date at the bottom of the coin. Get out your microscope or coin loupe and look closely at the lower edge of the digits to spot it.

The inspection is worth your time, because this error adds significantly to the value of the coin. An example graded AU55 is worth about $400, rising to $800 at MS63 and $4,000 at MS65.

This YouTube video from Treasure Town looks at these and other errors amongst 1886 Morgan dollars.

FAQs

What makes an 1866 silver dollar rare?

Despite their age, most 1866 silver dollars aren’t particularly rare. They’re easy to find in circulated grades, and even in mint state up until about MS63.

Dollars from New Orleans are rarer than those from Philadelphia, and those from San Francisco are rarer again.

Coins in the very finest condition are rare too, as are those with interesting errors. Look out for coins with evidence of doubling on the date – examples can be very valuable.

What year silver dollars are most valuable?

The auction record for a silver dollar was set for a coin dated 1794. It was of a type known as the “Flowing Hair Liberty” because of the image on the obverse. And it was believed to have been the first coin ever struck by the Mint facility at Philadelphia.

It sold at auction in 2013 for over $10 million.

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