U.S. Silver Dollar Information
Everything you need to know about the types of silver dollars
that have been struck in the United States.
U.S. Silver Dollar Types
| Flowing Hair Silver Dollars | 1794-1795 |
| Draped Bust Silver Dollars | 1795-1804 |
| Gobrecht Silver Dollars | 1836-1839 |
| Seated Silver Dollars | 1840-1873 |
| Trade Silver Dollars | 1870-1885 |
| Morgan Silver Dollars | 1878-1921 |
| Peace Silver Dollars | 1921-1935 |
Proof Silver Dollars
Silver dollar collectors are wild about proof silver dollars. These coins have very low mintages (typically less than 1,000 pieces). They are specially struck on polished planchets, and unlike their business-strike counterparts, they sport beautiful high-luster mirror surfaces. Typically, the only proof US silver dollars available to coin collectors are proof Seated Liberty dollars, proof Trade dollars and proof Morgan dollars. While the majority of these coins were struck in Philadelphia, a small number were struck at branch mints, i.e. New Orleans, San Francisco, Denver, and even Carson City. Assessing the value of silver dollars in proof condition requires expert knowledge.
U.S. Branch Mint Silver Dollars
Nothing seems to cause more confusion than the relative importance of the different U.S. branch mints. While there are some generalities that can be applied, the truth is that mint mark importance and value of silver dollars varies from coin to coin. This relative importance is based on the scarcity and quality of the particular coin in question.
Above you can see examples of the five possible mint mark variations found on US silver dollars. These pictures are of uncirculated Morgan silver dollars. Silver dollar values can vary due to mint mark. The first mint mark shown is from the iconic Carson City Mint. We put this one first because, even in the lowest grades, it tends to add extra value. The last picture is of a Philadelphia-struck Morgan dollar – as you can see, there is no mint mark in this case.
Please see our page U.S. Silver Dollar Values if you have interest in selling your U.S. Silver Dollar coins.
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