Ah, the 1889 silver dollar! Asking its worth is a bit like asking the price of a car. Is it a rusty pickup or a brand-new Ferrari? The secret to your coin's value lies in a tiny little letter, or the lack of one, called a mint mark.
First, flip that hefty silver disc over and look below the eagle's tail feathers. If you see no mint mark, you have a Philadelphia issue. These are the most common of the bunch. If it's been jangling in pockets for a century, it's likely worth between $30 and $50. In crisp, uncirculated condition, it could fetch anywhere from $55 to over a thousand dollars, with one particularly stunning specimen even selling for nearly $50,000!
If you spot an "O" for New Orleans or an "S" for San Francisco, the values are quite similar to the Philadelphia coin, though the "S" mint mark is a tad less common and might fetch a slightly higher price, starting around $100 for a basic uncirculated example.
Now, take a deep breath. If you see two letters, "CC" for Carson City, you've hit the jackpot. The 1889-CC is the holy grail of Morgan dollars. Even in poor, heavily circulated condition, you're looking at a value starting around $1,000. For a shiny, uncirculated one, the price skyrockets into the tens of thousands, and top-tier examples can even exceed $100,000. It's the difference between buying a nice steak dinner and buying the whole restaurant.
So, the value of your 1889 silver dollar depends entirely on its mint mark and its condition. It could be a cool piece of history worth its silver and a bit more, or it could be your ticket to an early retirement. Happy hunting for that mint mark
