How to value an MS67+ 1882-S Morgan Dollar
cinque1543
Posts: 457 ✭✭✭
I'm looking for some guidance and education. I don't buy coins on eBay, but I'll use this 1882-S dollar as an example: eBay Link
The coin is an 1882-S Morgan dollar in MS67+ condition, graded by PCGS and green-stickered by CAC. The asking price is $2728. There is only one other coin of this year and grade currently on eBay, which is listed at $2640.
Looking at the price guide on the PCGS website, I see several sales of MS67+ Morgans in 2025 (none in 2026) ranging from $1200 to $2115. The NGC website shows one sale of a MS67+ Morgan in 2026 (none in 2025) at a price of $1200. As far as I can tell, the PCGS and NGC websites do not indicate whether a coin is green-stickered by CAC, so the prices do not necessarily reflect an apples-to-apples comparison. On the eBay website, however, when I select "Sold Items", one sale of an PCGS MS67+ green-snickered Morgan appears in 2026 at $2184.
So, based on the above information, if I saw the eBay coin at a coin show, I would probably conclude that at $2728, it was priced at the high end. But what else should I be doing to assess the fair value of this coin? If you were interested in this coin, what would you consider to be a fair price, and why?
Comments
Utilize our host's Coinfacts.
https://pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1882-s-1/7140
For the 1882-S in 67+ there were five transactions from $1500 to $2115 over the last several years.
@JBN he clearly did just that. Your answer is neither helpful or insightful.
As for the coin, everything is negotiable, and at that price point, if the seller is unwilling to entertain offers, then I would walk away. There are plenty of great looking early S-mint dollars out there at very reasonable prices.
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After seeing the TrueView images, I wouldn’t pay anything over $2000.
"Bongo hurtles along the rain soaked highway of life on underinflated bald retread tires."
~Wayne
No way would I pay up for a condition rarity of a common coin.
Take the +/- 15% eBay fees away and the seller is netting less than you think.
you checked coinfacts auction prices realized
but coinfacts isn't 100% reliable. you checked ebay. go to GC, HA, SB and do a search
while on coinfacts you can see where it stands in the pop report. top pop? may not see many appearances and you'll have to figure... and the if it's near top pop you'll need to do some figuring by using 67 and 68 if there aren't many + sales to use. cac has pop reports rigt? if so, consult them
ebay BIN listing prices aren't good except to say "this listing is for X and it hasn't sold at that price." even bin sales are a little iffy in that sometimes they hit bin because maybe they aren't good at the search and wait.
The 1882-S is a super common date readily available in grades even up to MS68 and MS68+. There is no way I would pay almost $3k for a blast white common date Morgan Dollar. There is too much plastic/sticker premium for me. Do yourself a favor, cherry pick a nice 67 from plastic that predates plus grading for less than half of that.
He chose the venue. Just as sellers claim that their purchase price is not a buyer’s concern, his eBay fees are similarly not the buyer’s problem/concern. And keep in mind the price guides are based on auction records which include sellers fee in the sales price. Paying fees on top of sales records that included seller’s fees sounds like a poor financial decision for a very common piece.
just going to note - "how to value?"
CPG - An MS67 CaC is at &1250 . CPG for a ms68 is 6250 non CAC. A 67 plus (let’s say half a grade higher) I could see a $3100 tackon. 3100 plus 1250 = 4350. Basis the plus half grade up. This may seem quite high but the numbers don’t lie. Don’t think would want let go for less than 4350 especially if only one in room.
My question for a plus graded coin is not that half a grade up? So to get all the money….
For me a ms67 CAC plus would want considerably more than ms67 CPG. How low pop would influence me. Single digit pop I am in control…..
My view is on a plus grade coin I want at least 50pct tackon of difference in next grade up. Want all the money. However would see what others selling for (competition) …if any even out there.
ahhhh. pricing guides like greysheets is another way
Interesting take.
Depending on the coin (color?), I would.
Click on the auction records and view the coins in question. Get a feel of the how the prices reflect the quality. Never stretch up to buy a common coin that is blast white - there will always be another shot.
Interesting or not, one person’s attitude regarding paying up for such a coin has nothing to do with the question posed by this thread.
As others have posted, and as has already been done, checking auction archives is far more helpful.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
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Deleted as it is poor form to price someone else’s coin that is actively for sale.
https://www.pcgs.com/7b2ae6d6-9da1-4c38-b3c0-7698e010c34b
Are you buying or selling? Some sellers ask outrageous prices in my opinion. Sometimes they get it.
Just today I saw a 1942-S well circulated war nickel on eBay for over $150.
There are some sellers who ask "all the money" for their stuff. I have never dealt with that particular seller. Are his other items priced reasonable or are they on the high side?
Thank you all for your responses. I found them helpful.
That looks like a nice coin (even considering the lofty grade), but I agree that it is too high relative to what others have sold for. However, I have done a lot of business with this seller over the past 20 years. They are top notch, and if they are asking more, the coin is probably going to be nicer than usual. They have a great website. Call them up and ask their price if you pay by check and buy directly from them.
That seller has nice coins and I have done business with them, they are reputable.
That being said I don't personally like that coin as a 67+. There may be some room there for negotiation through ebay. Give an Inquire within the listing a try.
If it's worth all the money, why not?
Rhetorical question, not directed at any particular poster: When you buy gas or groceries, do you pay all the money or do you expect a discount?
poor comparison. commodities versus individual specimens? you're rhetorically questioning negotiating. who pays msrp on car?
I would also think that. You're doing the right thing by looking for all the comparable sales you can find. I would spend some time going through Heritage sales and GC sales. There may be Heritage sales that aren't in the CoinFacts info. PCGS doesn't have access to GC sales, so these would be fresh data points for you. Look at the coins to see if they're better, worse, or about the same as one you're considering buying. With common date Morgans, the opportunity is there to cherrypick for quality and buy a special coin. There's one that sold for $1500 last September that I like better. There may be 67s without the plus that I like better, too.
As for a fair price for the subject coin, from the pictures it doesn't look like it's a hair's breadth from a 68, which is what a 67+ should look like. That said, I wouldn't even ask for a price, because I would be thinking far less than $2728 -- probably closer to $1500.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
I would want $4350 as stated above. It probably would be a cornerstone coin in my case at shows.
Comparing commodities where people don't negotiate prices with ones where they do seems like... a poor comparison.
Since I haven't bought from that seller I have no idea if the coin is worth the premium he seems to be asking. Maybe someone who has might opine. Based on some of the responses here worth is quite a variable thing.
The eye appeal at that grade is VERY important. You cannot judge by a photo!
I am thinking the same thing.
Another thing to consider is downside. If you insist on buying it I strongly suggest you contact them off of ebay. You'll save money. They are easy to find and easy to deal with.
What if you wanted to sell this coin to upgrade or whatever. What's it going to bring once its your property. Thats really the most sobering point.
If it were me and I was planning on spending $2700 on a Morgan like this I would really just look for a nice 67 or a cleaner 67+. This coin has lots of stuff going on, on the obverse for the grade. I dont think the strike is all that great for an S mint. Look above Liberties ear. I also like to look at the eagles talons.
The true view shows it very well.
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I would check sold listing on ebay, great collections and heritage..a nice 1881 S MS67+ Cac just sold great collections for $1187 in April.....i would not get much more than that in coin for common date unless toning justified......if you pay big money for a common date who are you going to sell it to in the future? anybody who pays more than a $1000 for a coin is usually in tune to values.!!!!
You would never sell it at that price unless silver hit $4k/oz.
Seems like commodities should be easier to negotiate. There are multiple options.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Maybe I’m just not seeing them, but are there any affordable (< $2000), high-grade Morgans with a single digit pop?
This was such good advice. Past sales on the big auction sites, some within the past month, suggest a price of about $1500 for an 1882-S Morgan in MS67+ condition graded by PCGS and green stickered by CAC.