I have a 1879 Silver dollar and wanted to know if it is worth anything. I was wondering if there is anybody that knows what to look for on the coin that distinguishes it as being worth something. I have included some pictures as attachments. The coin's surface is shinier in real life than it is in the picture. Thank you
Hi srv560, welcome to the forum. Yes your dollar is worth something. Not going to get rich by selling it, but it's a nice example of a coin that's 125 years old. If you really want to know what to look for in order to determine a coin's condition, I would suggest that you get a copy of "A.N.A. Grading Standards". In the meantime, I will tell you that coins are graded by the amount of wear they show, their number of distracting marks, amount of damage, original surface preservation, eye appeal and several other factors. With that being said, your coin is going to fall in the XF range. Maybe AU, but with the rim ding on the reverse, I wouldn't think so. A fair estimate of retail value would be $15, give or take a few dollars. If you sell to a dealer, he won't be able to give you that much, because he will have to sell it for retail in order to realize some sort of profit. Hope this helps. ~Jody~
