1887/6-O $1

1888 $1

1887-S $1 (Regular Strike)

Series: Morgan Dollars 1878-1921

PCGS MS67

PCGS MS67

PCGS MS66+

PCGS #:: 7180

Designer:: George T. Morgan

Edge:: Reeded

Diameter:: 38.10 millimeters

Weight:: 26.73 grams

Mintage:: 1,771,000

Mint:: San Francisco

Metal:: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

Auction Record:: $58,800 • MS66+ • 10-30-2018 • Stack's Bowers

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Rarity and Survival Estimates Learn More

Grades	Survival Estimate The Survival Estimate represents an average of one or more experts' opinions as to how many examples survive of a particular coin in three categories: 1) all grades, 2) 60 or better, and 3) 65 or better. These estimates are based on a variety of sources, including population reports, auction appearances, and personal knowledge. Survival estimates include coins that are raw, certified by PCGS, and certified by other grading services.	Numismatic Rarity Numismatic Rarity converts the Survival Estimate for a particular coin into a number from 1 to 10 (with decimal increments) based on the PCGS Rarity Scale. The higher the number, the more rare the coin.	Relative Rarity By Type Relative Rarity By Type ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Type. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.	Relative Rarity By Series Relative Rarity By Series ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Series. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.
All Grades	180,000	R-1.9	33 / 117 TIE	33 / 117 TIE
60 or Better	60,000	R-2.4	52 / 117 TIE	52 / 117 TIE
65 or Better	1,300	R-4.8	53 / 117 TIE	53 / 117 TIE

Survival Estimate
All Grades	180,000
60 or Better	60,000
65 or Better	1,300

Numismatic Rarity
All Grades	R-1.9
60 or Better	R-2.4
65 or Better	R-4.8

Relative Rarity By Type All Specs in this Type
All Grades	33 / 117 TIE
60 or Better	52 / 117 TIE
65 or Better	53 / 117 TIE

Relative Rarity By Series All Specs in this Series
All Grades	33 / 117 TIE
60 or Better	52 / 117 TIE
65 or Better	53 / 117 TIE

Condition Census What Is This?

Pos	Grade	Pedigree and History
1	PCGS MS67	The Coronet Collection.
2	PCGS MS66+	The Jack Lee Collection, II; The Wurt Collection, I; "The RanJack Collection," Legend Rare Coin Auctions, July 26, 2018, Lot 29 - $44,650; Jeff Runquist; "The Zinfandel Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). Brilliant.
2	PCGS MS66+	Legend Rare Coin Auctions, January 25, 2018, Lot 232 - $28,200. Russet and Peacock Green toning on the obverse. Brilliant reverse.
2	PCGS MS66+	Frank Brozzetti; "The Brozetti Hoard Collection" (PCGS Set Registry).
6	PCGS MS66+	As CACG MS66+ #564101306. Stack's Bowers, August 27, 2025, Lot 3125 - $24,000. As PCGS MS66+ #53936648. "The Alan Gary Tyler Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). Gallimaufry toning on the obverse and reverse.
6	PCGS MS66+	As PCGS MS66+ #34591389. Stack's Bowers, October 25, 2018, Lot 2092 - $58,800. As PCGS MS66+ #37728227. The Illinois Set. Brilliant.
6	PCGS MS66+

#1 PCGS MS67

The Coronet Collection.

#2 PCGS MS66+

The Jack Lee Collection, II; The Wurt Collection, I; "The RanJack Collection," Legend Rare Coin Auctions, July 26, 2018, Lot 29 - $44,650; Jeff Runquist; "The Zinfandel Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). Brilliant.

#2 PCGS MS66+

Legend Rare Coin Auctions, January 25, 2018, Lot 232 - $28,200. Russet and Peacock Green toning on the obverse. Brilliant reverse.

#2 PCGS MS66+

Frank Brozzetti; "The Brozetti Hoard Collection" (PCGS Set Registry).

#6 PCGS MS66+

As CACG MS66+ #564101306. Stack's Bowers, August 27, 2025, Lot 3125 - $24,000. As PCGS MS66+ #53936648. "The Alan Gary Tyler Collection" (PCGS Set Registry). Gallimaufry toning on the obverse and reverse.

#6 PCGS MS66+

As PCGS MS66+ #34591389. Stack's Bowers, October 25, 2018, Lot 2092 - $58,800. As PCGS MS66+ #37728227. The Illinois Set. Brilliant.

#6 PCGS MS66+

Charles Morgan:

The 1887-S Morgan Dollar

The San Francisco Mint struck 1,771,000 1887-S Morgan Dollars (#7180), a total far lower than the mintages produced that year at the Philadelphia or New Orleans Mints. Earlier in the decade, the San Francisco Mint was expected to carry a significant portion of the load, working to fulfill the congressional mandate of approximately $2 million in silver dollars per month. However, a storage crisis quickly emerged because the coins simply weren't needed in local commerce. By 1884, the San Francisco Mint was running out of vault space, causing the bulk of annual silver dollar production to shift back east.

Vintage Market Snippets

LaVere Redfield, of Morgan Dollar Hoard fame, was an eccentric multimillionaire who had a distinct love for hard money and an equally distinct distaste for spending it or paying his "fair share" of taxes. During the Great Depression, he built a fortune by purchasing stocks, bonds, and real estate at rock-bottom prices. In 1935, he moved to Reno, Nevada, where he bought a 15-room river-rock mansion on Mount Rose St. It was here, hidden behind a false wall in his basement, that a massive hoard of over 400,000 silver dollars was discovered in 1974, just months after his death.

In 1976, the hoard was sold intact at auction for $7.3 million, with A-Mark Corporation submitting the winning bid. Q. David Bowers, head of Bowers and Ruddy Galleries, was the underbidder, tapping out at $7.2 million. As for the coins themselves, the most common bags consisted of the 1879-S (#7092), 1880-S (#7118), 1881-S (#7130), 1882-S (#7140), 1896 (#7240), 1897 (#7246), and 1897-S (#7250) issues. The 1887-S was one of the better dates in the deal, yielding an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 pieces. Most were in typical-to-choice BU (Brilliant Uncirculated) condition, which today would grade between PCGS MS62 and PCGS MS64. For virtually any other 19th-century coin, the sudden introduction of 8,000 to 10,000 uncirculated examples in the 1970s would have permanently suppressed the market. This was not the case for the widely collected Morgan Dollar series. When Paramount distributed the coins, the market value of the 1887-S softened temporarily but quickly recovered. Collectors then and now consider the issue a better date than the more common releases. The date remains scarce enough that when Russell Augustin and I developed our "Morgan 50" composite, we included the 1887 (#7172) and 1887-O (#7176), but excluded the 1887-S.

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