1880 Morgan Dollar

Circulation Mintage: 12,600,000

Obverse Text: 1880 | LIBERTY | E PLURIBUS UNUM

Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | ONE DOLLAR | IN GOD WE TRUST

Guidelines for Collecting:

The Philadelphia Mint struck many millions of Morgan dollars in 1880, and from many different dies. The series year contains more than two dozen overdate varieties from all four mints: Philadelphia, Carson City, New Orleans, and San Francisco. Apparently, the Philadelphia Mint chose to reuse surplus dies from 1879, and rather than waste them, the dies were overdated with “1880.” As a result, while quantities are plentiful the quality varies from sharply struck to weak, and appearance varies from gorgeous to unattractive. The overdated varieties require significant magnification to discern. These overdates have attracted attention among specialist collectors, though not so much from investors.

Availability in Circulated Grades:

Always available from VF to AU though the availability of Mint State pieces makes the pursuit of circulated examples almost nonexistent. Many such pieces find their way into melting pots whenever silver prices go up.

Availability in Mint State Grades:

Always available in any and all grades up to and including MS-65 and often finer. Bag quantities of the date were paid out from storage in Philadelphia many times over the ensuing decades since striking. Bank vaults were also a source for bags of this date in the 1950s. Indeed, by the time of the Treasury releases of the early 1960s, few bags of this readily available date remained.

Availability in Proof:

Hundreds of Proof 1880 Morgan dollars are available to today’s collecting community. Many of the survivors exhibit lively cameo contrast. However, many of the existing Proofs show traces of cleaning or mishandling and cherrypicking for quality is advised.

1880 with 80 over 79:

These, made in several die combinations for circulation, represent the use in 1880 of 1879-dated dies that were on hand in the die department of the Philadelphia Mint. A Guide Book of United States Coins lists these.