1882 Morgan Silver Dollar

Like 1881, 1882 saw relatively little action among Morgan Silver Dollars. While collectors who pursue VAM (Leroy C. Van Allen and A. George Mallis) varieties may notate various minor deviations among the dies used to strike 1882 Morgan Silver Dollars, most coin collectors will not usually pay much attention to any slight variations among the dies used that year.

The 1882 Morgan Silver Dollar was produced in four mints: Carson City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. The most valuable 1882 Morgan Silver Dollar carries the "CC" mintmark used by the Carson City Mint. It always carries a premium value because of very low production, making it the rarest 1882 Morgan Dollar. The New Orleans Mint used an "O" and the San Francisco Mint an "S”. The main mint in Philadelphia did not use a mintmark. Proof examples of Morgan Dollars from all years, including 1882, are rare which makes them expensive.

1882 Morgan Silver Dollar Mintage Figures

•          1882: 11,100,000; $35+
•          1882-CC: 1,133,000; $200+
•          1882-O: 6,090,000; $35+
•          1882-O, O Over S: mintage included above; $50+
•          1882-S: 9,250,000; $35+
•          1882 Proof: 1,100; $3,200+

The only major obstacle for most collectors pursuing 1882 Morgan Silver Dollar coins is the 1882-CC, which is a much scarcer coin than some may realize due to the multiple melting episodes that the series experienced during the early 20^th century in particular. Due to the scarcity of some Morgan Dollar issues (and the growing prevalence of counterfeit Morgan Dollars), it is usually wise to buy “slabbed” versions of the scarcer coins in the series. Slabbed coins are coins that are placed in special holders and graded by various coin-grading companies to determine what condition the actual coin is in. Additionally, be wary of the fact that many Morgan Silver Dollars have been cleaned, and therefore extra caution must be exercised when buying dollar coins from 1882 or any of the other years during which the series was produced. Avoid buying any low-grade pieces that have a highly reflective surface. Such pieces are almost always cleaned and should be avoided.