Sell Morgan and Peace silver dollars

Each original dollar holds a little over three quarters of a troy ounce of silver. Beyond the silver, collectors look at:

• The date, at the bottom of the front.
• The mintmark, a small letter or the letters CC on the back that shows which mint struck the coin. On a Morgan dollar it is just under the bow of the wreath, above the D and O of DOLLAR. On a Peace dollar it is below the word ONE, near the tip of the eagle's tail feathers. No letter means Philadelphia.
• The condition: how much wear the coin shows, and whether it has been cleaned.

A date can be common from one mint and scarce from another, so collectors look at both.

The silver and gold calculator covers Morgan and Peace dollars dated 1935 or earlier. It estimates the silver only, so send photos as well.

Don't clean anything. Cleaning can't be undone. Collectors prefer old silver with its natural color.

• Rolls: don't open them. Photograph the ends.
• Albums, folders and flips: leave the dollars in and photograph them that way.
• Grading holders: leave them sealed. Major grading services stand behind a grade only while the coin stays inside an unopened holder.
• Government holders: the U.S. government once sold silver dollars, mostly Carson City Morgan dollars, in hard plastic holders with a black insert. Leave those sealed too.
• Boxes, cards and papers: keep them with the dollars they came with.
• Loose dollars: hold them by the edges.