Where are the mint marks on Morgan and Peace silver dollars and how do I judge their condition?
An 1879 dollar has a base value of $5.00, unless it is a “CC” dollar (made at Carson City, Nevada). Then the price goes to about $50.00. Most Peace dollars start at about $5.00 as well. But the 1928 without a mint mark (“plain” and made in Philadelphia) begins at about $70.00. This makes the first step in knowing the value of your coins knowing where to find the mint mark. Morgan dollars (1878-1921, with an eagle on the back that has his wings spread) have the mint mark, when present, on the back below the wreath but above the letters “DO” in the word “DOLLAR.” On Peace dollars (1921-1935 with the eagle standing on a rock with his wings folded) the mint mark, when present, is on the back below the word “ONE.” The mint mark, or even the lack of a mint mark, tells you exactly where a particular coin was made. Those without a mint mark, what a collector calls “plain,” were made in Philadelphia. CC is for Carson City, Nevada S is for San Francisco, California D is for Denver, Colorado O is
