1872 United States Dollar Value
A 1872 United States Dollar is worth roughly $1.77 to $19.07 depending on its condition, with a hard melt-value floor of $1.77 as of 2026-06-01 Certified examples in top grades can run far higher.
Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.
Melt estimated at the US 0.900 silver standard.
1872 United States Dollar value by grade
| Grade | Estimated value |
|---|---|
| Melt value floor(metal content, 2026-06-01) | $1.77 |
| Good (G-4) | $1.77 to $2.12 |
| Very Good (VG-8) | $1.77 to $2.18 |
| Fine (F-12) | $1.77 to $2.29 |
| Very Fine (VF-20) | $1.77 to $2.44 |
| Extremely Fine (XF-40) | $1.95 to $2.75 |
| About Uncirculated (AU-50) | $2.40 to $3.39 |
| Mint State (MS-60) | $3.30 to $4.66 |
| Choice Unc (MS-63) | $5.25 to $7.42 |
| Gem Unc (MS-65) | $13.51 to $19.07 |
Estimated retail range, updated 2026-06-15. Estimates are modeled from mintage rarity and metal content, not auction records. Actual sale prices vary with certification, eye appeal and market timing.
How much is a 1872 United States Dollar worth today?
Figure roughly $1.77 as the realistic floor for a damage-free, well-worn 1872 United States Dollar, rising steadily through the grades to about $19.07 for a certified gem. Cleaned or damaged coins trade below these figures, though never below the $1.77 melt floor.
1872 United States Dollar specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1872
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Silver
- Weight
- 1.672 g
- Diameter
- 15 mm
- Silver content
- 0.04838 troy oz
No mint mark? Here is why
The 1872 United States Dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which used no mint mark in this era. If you find no letter where branch-mint coins carry one (check the usual position for this series), you are holding a Philadelphia issue.
Where this coin's value comes from
Documented examples of the 1872 United States Dollar in our reference database anchor what we know about this issue. Mintage records are incomplete, so collector demand and surviving population drive its market.
Beneath the numismatics of the 1872 United States Dollar sits 0.0484 troy ounces of silver, $1.77 worth at today's spot price. When silver rallies, even the most common dates of this series rise with it.
There is history in a 1872 United States Coinage as well. Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. That backdrop keeps the series among the most actively collected in American numismatics.
1872 United States Dollar inscriptions & design
Obverse
************* 1872
Liberty seated r., head l., holding cap (pilius) on a pole with one hand and resting the other on inscribed shield
Reverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; ONE DOL.
eagle facing, head l.; motto above
Measured 1872 United States Dollar specimens
5 physically measured 1872 United States Dollar examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 1.672 g, 15 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872 United States Dollar #1 | 1.672 g | 15 mm | - | Friedberg.USA.94, Breen.6087 |
| 1872 United States Dollar #2 | - | - | 6 h | Breen.5490 |
| 1872 United States Dollar #3 | - | - | - | Osburn-Cushing.P1, Breen.5490 |
| 1872 United States Dollar #4 | - | - | - | Judd.1219, Pollock.1360, Adams.Woodin.1254 |
| 1872 United States Dollar #5 | 26.507 g | 37.9 mm | 6 h | - |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.
Summary: the 1872 United States Dollar is valued between $1.77 and $19.07 as of 2026-06-15. Estimates combine mintage rarity, key-date status and metal content; they are editorial guidance, not an offer to buy.