1881 US Coins: Values & Mintages

How many coins were made in 1881

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 67,257,420 coins dated 1881 across 10 issues. That is close to the 1880 total of 66,336,600. In 1882 the figure rose to 81,562,200.

It was the biggest year since 1876.

By mint: Philadelphia 48,493,420 (72%, down from 51,636,600), San Francisco 12,760,000 (19%, up from 8,900,000), New Orleans 5,708,000 (8.5%, up from 5,305,000) and Carson City 296,000 (0.44%, down from 495,000).

Those coins held about 21,607,676 troy ounces of pure silver and 369 troy ounces of gold.

1881 coins by denomination

Cents: 39,208,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Indian Head Cent, up 0.63% on 1880.

Nickels: 68,800 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Shield Nickel, up 330% on 1880.

Dimes: 24,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Seated Liberty Dime, down 33% on 1880.

Quarters: 12,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Seated Liberty Quarter, down 12% on 1880.

Half Dollars: 10,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar, up 19% on 1880.

Dollar Coins: 27,927,000 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Morgan Silver Dollar, up 2.3% on 1880. The scarcest is the 1881-CC (296,000) and the most plentiful the 1881-S (12,760,000).

Gold Coins: 7,620 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Gold Dollar, up 376% on 1880.

Every 1881 circulation issue at a glance

• 1881 Gold Dollar: 7,620 struck, 32nd lowest of 75 in the series, up from 1,600 in 1880.
• 1881 Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 10,000 struck, 11th lowest of 116 in the series, similar to 1880.
• 1881 Seated Liberty Quarter: 12,000 struck, 8th lowest of 108 in the series, similar to 1880.
• 1881 Seated Liberty Dime: 24,000 struck, 11th lowest of 116 in the series, down from 36,000 in 1880.
• 1881 Shield Nickel: 68,800 struck, 3rd lowest of 17 in the series, up from 16,000 in 1880.
• 1881-CC Morgan Silver Dollar: 296,000 struck, 5th lowest of 96 in the series, down from 495,000 in 1880.
• 1881-O Morgan Silver Dollar: 5,708,000 struck, more than 54% of the series' 96 issues, similar to 1880.
• 1881 Morgan Silver Dollar: 9,163,000 struck, more than 69% of the series' 96 issues, down from 12,600,000 in 1880.
• 1881-S Morgan Silver Dollar: 12,760,000 struck, more than 87% of the series' 96 issues, up from 8,900,000 in 1880.
• 1881 Indian Head Cent: 39,208,000 struck, more than 64% of the series' 54 issues, similar to 1880.

Indian Head Cent: Recovery and the 1886 portrait change

Production rebounded in 1879 as the surplus cleared and the economy recovered, rising from 16 million that year to about 39 million in 1880 and 1881. Proof mintages climbed into the thousands as collecting grew. After a dip in 1885, output passed 45 million in 1887 and 57 million in 1890, the largest yet.

The key variety of this era is the 1886. Early in the year the obverse hub was changed: on Type 1 coins the last feather of the headdress points between the I and C of AMERICA, while on Type 2 coins it points between the C and A. Type 2 is scarcer. The 1888/7 overdate is a major rarity. Bronze from this period often survives with attractive red and brown color. The higher mintages make most dates easy to find in Extremely Fine and better.

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Shield Nickel: Tiny business strikes and the final year

With the glut still in place, business strikes stayed tiny from 1879 to 1881. Only about 25,900 were made in 1879, 16,000 in 1880 and 68,800 in 1881. The 1880 is the rarest business strike of the series. For these years proofs survive in larger numbers than circulation strikes, so worn coins are the real prize. The 1879 includes a proof 9 over 8 overdate.

Demand finally returned in 1882, when 11.5 million nickels were struck. Another 1.5 million came in 1883 before the Liberty Head design took over. The 1883 has a 3 over 2 overdate that is often misattributed, so look for clear traces of the 2 inside the 3. Survivors from 1882 and 1883 are common and often well struck, which makes them good choices for a type coin.

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Seated Liberty Quarter: Small mintages in the final years

By 1879 the country had more quarters than commerce needed. The Mint was also busy with silver dollars under the Bland-Allison Act. Philadelphia struck only 13,600 business strikes in 1879 and just 5,000 in 1886, the low point. Collectors and speculators saved many of these coins, so survivors are often uncirculated and frequently prooflike.

San Francisco struck 1,216,000 in 1888, the only branch mint quarter of the 1880s. In 1891 production surged again at Philadelphia, San Francisco and New Orleans. The 1891-O, with 68,000 struck, was the first New Orleans quarter since 1860 and is scarce. Philadelphia made several hundred to more than a thousand proofs every year of the period. For several dates the proofs are easier to locate than business strikes of the same year.

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Seated Liberty Half Dollar: Tiny mintages in the final years

From 1879 to 1890 Philadelphia struck business strike halves in very small numbers, roughly 4,400 to 12,000 a year, while silver dollars absorbed most of the bullion. Branch mints made no halves at all in these years. Proofs were struck every year alongside the business strikes and survive in comparable numbers.

Collectors and dealers saved many of these coins when new, so they survive in uncirculated grades more often than mintages suggest. Many business strikes are prooflike, which can make them hard to tell from proofs without close study of the rims and devices. In 1891, the final year, Philadelphia struck about 200,000. That date is the most available of the period in circulated grades. Charles Barber's design replaced Seated Liberty in 1892.

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Morgan Silver Dollar: Bland-Allison dollars

The Bland-Allison Act of February 28, 1878 required the Treasury to buy a minimum value of silver each month and coin it into dollars. George T. Morgan's design went into production within weeks. The first Philadelphia coins show eight tail feathers on the eagle. The count was soon cut to seven. Some dies show seven feathers punched over eight.

Carson City struck its first Morgans in 1878. New Orleans began in 1879. Most of these dollars never circulated and sat in bags in Treasury vaults for decades. When the government sold its remaining Carson City dollars by mail between 1972 and 1980, many CC coins of the early 1880s reached collectors in uncirculated condition, including the scarce 1881-CC and 1885-CC. Bag marks from that long storage are common.

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Gold Dollar: Hoarded final decade

Gold dollars of the 1880s were struck only at Philadelphia in small numbers, from 1,600 in 1880 to 28,950 in 1889. Speculators, jewelers and gift buyers took many of them. A large share therefore survives in uncirculated condition, often with prooflike surfaces that can be mistaken for proofs.

Proof production jumped to more than 1,000 a year from 1884, a sign of how popular the little coins had become with collectors. The Act of September 26, 1890 ended the gold dollar along with the three dollar gold piece and the three-cent nickel, so 1889 was the final year. Late dates are the easiest gold dollars to find in high grade, although they still carry a premium over their gold content. Look for signs of jewelry mounting on the rim before buying.

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Seated Liberty Dime: Philadelphia alone and tiny runs

After the huge coinages of 1875 to 1877, the country had more dimes than commerce needed. The Mint was also busy striking Morgan silver dollars under the Bland-Allison Act of 1878, which required the Treasury to buy silver every month and coin it into dollars. Philadelphia was the only mint making dimes from 1879 to 1883. It struck just 14,000 in 1879, 36,000 in 1880 and 24,000 in 1881. Those three dates are keys of the late series.

Collectors and dealers noticed the low numbers at the time and saved many of the coins. As a result, these dates are found in uncirculated condition more often than you might expect. Proof mintages were high for the period, with 1,100 in 1879 and 1,355 in 1880, the largest proof run of any Seated dime. With so many proofs made against so few business strikes, attribution takes care.

Demand returned in 1882, when Philadelphia struck 3,910,000. Output rose to 7,674,673 in 1883. No San Francisco dimes were struck from 1878 to 1883 and Carson City had stopped making dimes altogether. Those dates are common. For an 1879, 1880 or 1881, check the date for alteration and the surfaces for signs of a proof, such as deep mirrors and sharp rims. Then compare the luster with a business strike before deciding what you have.

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