
Ah, the 1887 silver dollar! You're asking the million-dollar question... or, in this case, perhaps the sixty-dollar question. The value of your coin depends entirely on what kind of life it has lived. Was it a hard-working dollar that got passed around saloons, or was it a pampered couch potato that never left the mint's sight?
It's all about condition, condition, condition. If your coin is worn, scratched, and looks like it's seen a few too many bar fights, it's generally worth its "melt value," which is the value of the silver inside it. A rather dramatic end for a piece of history, but a common fate for well-circulated coins.
However, if your 1887 Morgan is in uncirculated, or "Mint State" (MS), condition, that's where things get interesting. According to the experts, the value starts climbing like a socialite on a staircase. A basic uncirculated coin (graded MS-60) might fetch you around $60. If it's a bit shinier and sharper, say an MS-63, you're looking at about $100. A real gem of a coin, an MS-65, could be worth a cool $200.
And for the grand finale, if you happen to have a virtually perfect, blemish-free supermodel of a coin graded MS-67, you could be looking at a value of around $1,750. So, take a close look at your dollar. Is it a grizzled veteran or a dazzling debutante? The answer will tell you if you're buying lunch or booking a vacation.


