Morgan and Peace silver dollars: how to tell which you have
Guide
Sending photos doesn't commit you to sell
I have old silver dollars. What are they, and what should I photograph?
A Morgan dollar shows Liberty in a headband lettered LIBERTY; a Peace dollar shows her in a crown of rays. Photograph both sides, then the date and the mintmark up close.
1. Two designs and their years
The original Morgan dollars are dated 1878 to 1904 and 1921. They are named for their designer, George T. Morgan.
The original Peace dollars are dated 1921 to 1928 and 1934 to 1935. They marked the peace that followed World War I.
Both are 90% silver and about an inch and a half across.
Cleaning can't be undone.
2. Telling them apart
On a Morgan dollar, Liberty wears a cap and a headband lettered LIBERTY. The back shows an eagle with its wings spread, holding arrows and an olive branch, with a wreath curving beneath it.
On a Peace dollar, Liberty wears a crown of rays, much like the Statue of Liberty's. The back shows an eagle at rest on a rock lettered PEACE, holding an olive branch and no arrows.
The motto on a Peace dollar reads IN GOD WE TRVST. The V is part of the design, not a mistake.
3. Date and mintmark
The date is at the bottom of the front on both coins.
The mintmark is a small letter, or the letters CC, on the back. It shows which mint struck the coin.
On a Morgan dollar it is above the D and O of DOLLAR, just under the bow of the wreath. On a Peace dollar it is below the word ONE, near the tip of the eagle's tail feathers.
A date can be common from one mint and scarce from another, so collectors look at both.
No letter means Philadelphia. The letters you may find:
- CC: Carson City, on Morgan dollars.
- O: New Orleans, on Morgan dollars.
- S: San Francisco, on both.
- D: Denver, on Peace dollars and on Morgan dollars dated 1921.
4. 1921, the year of both
1921 was the last year of the original Morgan dollar and the first year of the Peace dollar.
The 1921 Peace dollar, the coin pictured on our home page, was struck only in Philadelphia, so it has no mintmark. Collectors call its design high relief, because it stands out from the surface more than on later coins. The Mint lowered the relief in 1922.
1921 Morgan dollars came from three mints: Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco.
5. Before you do anything
Don't clean or polish your dollars. Cleaning can't be undone. Collectors prefer old silver with its natural color.
Copies are common, especially of Morgan and Trade dollars and older gold coins, some in fake grading holders. Many were bought in good faith.
Morgan and Peace dollars dated 2021 or later, including the 2026 coins dated “1776 ~ 2026”, are modern U.S. Mint coins made of 99.9% silver, not 90%.
The silver calculator covers Morgan and Peace dollars dated 1935 or earlier. It estimates the silver only. Collectors also look at the date, mintmark and condition, so send photos as well.
Leave coins in their albums, flips, holders and Mint packaging, and photograph them that way.
For each dollar, photograph:
- Both sides.
- The date, up close.
- The mintmark spot on the back, up close, even if you see no letter.
- The front and back of the label, if the coin is in a grading holder.
Guides
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