1885 Silver Dollar Value Guide

The 1885 Silver Dollar Value

Circulation strikes from the Philadelphia, New Orleans, and San Francisco Mints have comparative value across the grades up to about uncirculated, with the San Francisco version being slightly more valuable. 

Higher mint-state grades from San Francisco come in more valuable. 

Circulation-strike 1885 silver dollars minted in Carson City are consistently more valuable across the grades. They start from $580 and jump up to approximately $215,000. 

An N/A for a value below indicates no publicly known examples of that version of the 1885 silver dollar with that grade, or no value information (or not enough) exists for it yet.

Additionally, all values are conservative estimates based on research. Please note all values are subject to change due to the market or circumstances unaccounted for during research and publication. We always recommend doing further research or consulting with a professional.

Melt Value

The 1885 silver dollar’s melt value is approximately $17. The melt value will fluctuate with the market.

Circulation Strike Value Chart

	Coin Names And Coin Values
Grade Names	1885 Silver Dollar	1885-CC Silver Dollar	1885-O Silver Dollar	1885-S Silver Dollar
Good – G	$35	$580	$35	$41
Very Good – VG	$37	$606	$37	$43
Fine – F	$38	$621	$38	$46
Very Fine – VF	$42	$647	$42	$60
Extra Fine – XF	$48	$688	$48	$95
About Uncirculated – AU	$50-$63	$707-$755	$52-$63	$130-$240
Mint State – MS	$72-$52,000 (68+)	$775-$215,000 (68+)	$70-$23,000 (68)	$280-$61,000 (67)

Circulation Strike Prooflike (PL) Value Chart

	Coin Names And Coin Values
Grade Names	1885 Prooflike Silver Dollar	1885-CC Prooflike Silver Dollar	1885-O Prooflike Silver Dollar	1885-S Prooflike Silver Dollar
AU 58 PL	N/A	N/A	$61	N/A
MS 60 PL	$92	$785	$92	$375
MS 61 PL	$97	$850	$102	$425
MS 62 PL	$130	$900	$117	$625
MS 63 PL	$175	$1,000	$162	$912
MS 64 PL	$227	$1,300	$202	$3,700
MS 65 PL	$487	$1,800	$332	$8,100
MS 66 PL	$912	$3,300	$1,100	$18,000
MS 67 PL	$3,800	$16,000	N/A	N/A
MS 68 PL	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
MS 69 PL	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
MS 70 PL	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Circulation Strike Deep (Mirror) Prooflike (DPL/DMPL) Value Chart

	Coin Names And Coin Values
Grade Names	1885 Deep (Mirror) Prooflike Silver Dollar	1885-CC Deep (Mirror) Prooflike Silver Dollar	1885-O Deep (Mirror) Prooflike Silver Dollar	1885-S Deep (Mirror) Prooflike Silver Dollar
MS 60 DPL/DMPL	$130	$800	$130	N/A
MS 61 DPL/DMPL	$157	$887	$157	$625
MS 62 DPL/DMPL	$215	$1,000	$215	$950
MS 63 DPL/DMPL	$320	$1,200	$282	$2,100
MS 64 DPL/DMPL	$515	$1,900	$500	$4,300
MS 65 DPL/DMPL	$1,000	$3,200	$1,100	$27,000
MS 66 DPL/DMPL	$3,100	$11,000	$3,100	N/A
MS 67 DPL/DMPL	$21,000	$51,000	$13,000	N/A
MS 68 DPL/DMPL	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
MS 69 DPL/DMPL	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
MS 70 DPL/DMPL	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Proof Strike (PR) Value Chart

1885 Proof Silver Dollar
Grade Names	Coin Values
PR 50	$666
PR 53	N/A
PR 55	$1,300
PR 58	$1,400
PR 60	$2,100
PR 61	$2,100
PR 62	$2,300
PR 63	$3,700
PR 64	$4,500
PR 65	$6,700
PR 66	$8,900
PR 67	$16,000
PR 68	$36,000
PR 69	$89,000
PR 70	N/A

Cameo (CA/CAM) Proof Strike (PR) Value Chart

1885 Cameo Proof Silver Dollar
Grade Names	Coin Values
PR 60 CA/CAM	N/A
PR 61 CA/CAM	$2,600
PR 62 CA/CAM	$3,100
PR 63 CA/CAM	$4,000
PR 64 CA/CAM	$5,500
PR 65 CA/CAM	$8,200
PR 66 CA/CAM	$13,000
PR 67 CA/CAM	$23,000
PR 68 CA/CAM	$51,000
PR 69 CA/CAM	$117,000
PR 70 CA/CAM	N/A

Ultra/Deep Cameo (UC/DCAM) Proof Strike (PR) Value Chart

1885 Ultra/Deep Cameo Proof Silver Dollar
Grade Names	Coin Values
PR 60 UC/DCAM	N/A
PR 61 UC/DCAM	N/A
PR 62 UC/DCAM	N/A
PR 63 UC/DCAM	$4,200
PR 64 UC/DCAM	N/A
PR 65 UC/DCAM	$15,000
PR 66 UC/DCAM	$27,000
PR 67 UC/DCAM	$38,000
PR 68 UC/DCAM	$66,000
PR 69 UC/DCAM	N/A
PR 70 UC/DCAM	N/A

What Makes An 1885 Silver Dollar Valuable?

The 1885 silver dollar is readily available across the grades. However, certain things like mint marks, error coins, and die varieties can all increase the coin’s value. 

Let’s start with grading.

Grading

The value of a coin is dependent on its grade. The higher the grade, the higher the value.

The higher mint-state grades of the 1885 silver dollar reach the tens of thousands. 

However, the lowest grades are still worth over $30.

Due to its rarity, even the lowest “good” grade of the 1885-CC silver dollar is worth $580.  

Rarity

The Mint minted 1885 silver dollars approximately 28,697,930 times across all its versions. Please see the following list for the breakdown for each version:

• 1885: 17,787,000 minted in Philadelphia^1-2
• 1885-CC: 228,000 minted in Carson City^3-4
• 1885-O: 9,185,000 minted in New Orleans^5-6
• 1885-S: 1,497,000 minted in San Francisco^7-8
• 1885 Proof: 930 minted in Philadelphia^17-18

1885 is not a particularly rare year for the Morgan dollar series, especially those minted in Philadelphia. 

However, Carson City 1885 silver dollars are rarer. These continue to be highly sought after and are worth a lot.

Proof versions are also rarer and valuable as fewer were minted, and thus fewer survived. 

Mint Marks

The U.S. Mint minted 1885 silver dollars in 4 locations:

• Philadelphia (no mint mark)^1-2
• Carson City (“CC” mint mark)^3-4
• New Orleans (“O” mint mark)^5-6
• San Francisco (“S” mint mark)^7-8

The Carson City “CC” mint mark is the most valuable.

Circulated grades from Carson City are the rarest of all circulation-strike Morgan silver dollars. So even the lowest grades fetch a premium.  

Because so many went out into circulation or were damaged in storage, the higher mint-state grades of San Francisco coins are rare and more valuable. 

1885 silver dollars with New Orleans “O” mint marks are one of the most common mint-state Morgan dollars. 

Strike Types

Circulation and proof strikes are the 2 strike types of the 1885 silver dollar.^21-22

Only Philadelphia struck the proof-strike version for this year.

Of the more than 28 million Morgan dollars struck in 1885, only 930 were proof-strike coins. This low number makes them a valuable coin.

There are also cameo and ultra/deep cameo versions of the proof coin. These versions further increase the coin’s value.

Design Variations

The 1885 silver dollar has no design variations.

Special Designations

Prooflike and deep (mirror) prooflike are the 2 special designations of the 1885 silver dollar.^2,4,6,8-16

These are circulation-strike coins that hold some proof characteristics, such as reflectivity. 

Prooflike and deep (mirror) prooflike coins are readily available for this year. But they will still be more valuable than regular circulation-strike coins.

Error Coins 

Error coins, or mint errors, result from a mistake made in the minting of the coin. The error can happen during the striking process or even before, with die or planchet errors.

While not always the case, most error coins tend to increase the coin’s value. Even at the lower grades. 

An example of an error that increases the value of the 1885 silver dollar is when it is struck off-center.³² Another example that can is a struck-through error.³³

Die Varieties

Unusually for the Morgan series, 1885 does not offer many desirable die varieties to collectors. However, below, we’ve listed a notable variety from each mint location that does ignite the interest of collectors: 

• 1885 VAM-1D (banded wing tip)²⁴
• 1885-CC VAM-4 (thick dash under 8)²⁵
• 1885-O VAM-25A (faint dash under 8, die cracks)²⁶
• 1885-S VAM-9 (885 in denticles, S/S)²⁷

GSA Hoard

The GSA Hoard refers to a sale by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) of approximately 3 million Morgan dollars.

The GSA released these coins from Treasury vaults and sold them to the public in the 1970s and at the start of the 1980s.

The most popular coins of the GSA Hoard are the Morgan dollars minted in Carson City. 

At the time of sale, the coins came with a title card in a plastic holder, a black box, and a certificate of authenticity. The coins also came with a note from President Richard Nixon.

Composition

The 1885 silver dollar is 90% silver.

We strongly advise against melting your coin as it will be worth more if you sell it. The melt value is changeable with the fluctuating precious metal market.  

How Do You Know If You Have A Valuable 1885 Silver Dollar?

The best way to know if you have a valuable 1885 silver dollar (or any coin) and to get that value out of it is to have it professionally certified.

However, you can look for many elements to get you started in determining what coin you have.

Let’s start with grading.

Grading

Because 1885 is a commonly found year of Morgan dollars, you want to be selective in choosing a coin with a higher grade. 

Look for well-struck coins with very few scratches or signs of wear and exhibit vivid details. 

However, if you have an 1885 silver dollar minted in Carson City (look for the “CC” mint mark), all the grades of this coin are very valuable. 

Mint Marks

You’ll find the mint mark on the reverse side of your 1885 silver dollar coin below the wreath’s bow.

You will see a “CC” mint mark for Carson City, an “O” mint mark for New Orleans, or an “S” mint mark for San Francisco. If your coin has no mint mark, then Philadelphia produced it.

Strike Types

Most circulation-strike 1885 silver dollars were well struck. 

But be cautious of those minted in New Orleans as many were weakly struck. This is especially evident on the eagle, which has been said to have a “belly button” due to the dented appearance below the eagle’s breast.^5-6  

The proof-strike versions of the 1885 silver dollar will be of a considerably higher quality. 

The cameo versions will display highly reflective fields and frosted devices. This contrast will be even greater in the ultra/deep cameo versions. 

Design Variations

The 1885 silver dollar has no design variations.

Special Designations

A key feature to look for when determining if you have a prooflike or a deep (mirror) prooflike coin is if it has a mirrored field. 

However, this can be particularly hard to determine. To make it even harder, many 1885 silver dollars (especially 1885-S) are only one-sided prooflike or deep (mirror) prooflike.^7-8

Because of this difficulty, we recommend working with a professional when assessing your coin. 

Error Coins

Here’s how to check if you have a known 1885 silver dollar error coin.

Struck Off-Center Error

This error occurs when the planchet or die is misaligned during the striking process. It results in the design being shifted off-center. 

The off-center direction is referred to as the position on a clock. For example, if it is off-center towards 12 o’clock, it means the design is shifted directly up. 

This is a relatively easy error to tell from just looking at your coin. The design of your coin will be off-center in a certain direction. Some details might also be missing, and the remaining space on the coin will just be plain metal. 

This error will increase the value of your coin. 

Struck-Through Error

This error happens when an object gets between the planchet and the die during striking. The foreign object (debris, a piece of metal, a wire, etc.) then leaves an imprint on the coin.

So, for this error, you want to examine all over your coin for any signs of marks left by a foreign object. This could be in the form of lines, grooves, or indentations.

Die Varieties

Here are some tips to get you started with identifying some notable VAM varieties.

1885 VAM-1D

On the reverse side of your coin, look at the left wing (your left, not the eagle’s left) of the eagle.²⁴ This die variety shows raised vertical bands around the wing tip up to the coin’s rim. 

These bands stretch up from the “D” of “United,” around the top of the wing, and to just before the “S” of “States.”

You will also want to look at the date on the obverse side of your coin. Below the 2nd “8” there is a very small vertical dash. You may need some form of magnification for this. 

1885-CC VAM-4

There are very few notable die varieties for the 1885-CC silver dollar. However, this variety is one of them.²⁵

You will want to look at the date on the obverse side of the coin. A distinct dash is below the 2nd “8” of the date. It is a thick, horizontal line that’s also doubled. A few die chips are also on the lower loop of the “8.”

This variety also features 2 long die scratches around the “RIB” of “Pluribus.”

On the reverse side of the coin, you will need to look for small die chips on the inside of both “C” in the mint mark.

1885-O VAM-25A

As with the 1885-CC silver dollars, the 1885-O ones don’t offer many desirable die varieties. But this one is one of the few.²⁶ 

For this variety, look at the coin’s obverse side. There is a clear crack from the rim down between the “RI” of “Pluribus” to the wheat kernels. 

There is another clear crack in the fold of the cap worn by Lady Liberty. A break is also evident at the top of the cap near the right leaf of the wheat.

There is a light dash under the 2nd “8” of the date.

1885-S VAM-9

This is a rare die variety.²⁷

For the 1885-S VAM-9, look at the denticles (the “teeth” by the coin’s rim) below the date on the obverse side of your coin. This may require a loupe or some form of magnification. 

Below the “885” of the date, you will see two raised curved lines and one raised straight bar in the spaces between the denticles. These are from the mispunched date.  

Look for a repunched mint mark on your coin’s reverse side. The “S/S” should be clearly doubled, with the original “S” showing to the left of the repunched “S.”

GSA Hoard

You will have a certificate of authenticity if you have an 1885 silver dollar from the GSA Hoard.

While they were sold with a box and a plastic holder, many of these were removed at the time. So you may or may not have them with your coin.

A GSA Hoard coin with all the original packaging intact is worth more. 

However, even without the packaging and just the certificate of authenticity, a GSA Hoard coin is more valuable than a regular 1885 silver dollar.   

Additional Information About The 1885 Silver Dollar

History

The Morgan silver dollar saw minting from 1878 to 1904, for 1 year in 1921 and then returned in 2021 as collectible proof coins. It was named after George T. Morgan, who designed the coin.   

The Carson City Mint closed in November 1885 and did not reopen for another 4 years. So, the 1885 silver dollar marks the last year of the early mintage years of Morgan dollars from this location.  

Interestingly, the Mint released hardly any of the 228,000 coins minted in Carson City into circulation. Therefore, they hold the unusual title of being the rarest circulated grade Morgan dollar series. 

Only 4 die pairs of the 1885-CC have been recorded, despite 10 pairs being sent to the Mint. This may be due to the low mintage and the Mint closing.  

As is often the case with Morgan dollars, the 1885-CC was once thought to be exceptionally rare until the U.S. Treasury started releasing mint-sealed bags in the 1940s and 1950s and selling more later in the GSA Hoard sales of the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1885, the New Orleans Mint minted no other coin but the Morgan silver dollar.

^{Sources: 3-6,21-22,28,31}

The Coin’s Obverse Side

Circling the rim of the obverse side of the 1885 silver dollar is the motto of the United States of America, “E Pluribus Unum” at the top and the year “1885” at the bottom. 

13 stars are between the two, 7 stars on the left and 6 on the right. These stars represent the 13 states that declared independence in the American Revolutionary War.²⁹

In the center of the coin is the profile of Lady Liberty. She wears a headband with the word “Liberty,” a cap, and flowers in her hair. At the base of her neck is Morgan’s (the designer’s) initial, “M.”

^{Sources: 1-2}

The Coin’s Reverse Side

Around the rim of the 1885 silver dollar’s reverse side are the words “United States of America” at the top and “One Dollar” at the bottom. A single star separates them on either side.

In the center of the coin is an eagle with its wings spread. It holds an olive branch and 3 arrows in its talons. 

Above the eagle are the words “In God We Trust.”

Curving underneath the eagle is a wreath tied in the center with a bow. 

The 1885-CC silver dollar, minted in Carson City, has a “CC” mint mark located below the wreath’s bow. 

The 1885-O silver dollar, minted in New Orleans, has the “O” mint mark in the same place. 

Likewise, the 1885-S silver dollar, minted in San Francisco, will have its “S” mint mark below the bow. 

^{Sources: 1-8}

Sources

1885 Silver Dollar Value Guide Sources