1878 United States Dollar Value
A 1878 United States Dollar is worth roughly $20.30 to $219 depending on its condition, with a hard melt-value floor of $20.30 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.
1878 United States Dollar value by grade
| Grade | Estimated value |
|---|---|
| Melt value floor(metal content, 2026-06-01) | $20.30 |
| Good (G-4) | $20.30 to $24.36 |
| Very Good (VG-8) | $20.30 to $25.10 |
| Fine (F-12) | $20.30 to $26.31 |
| Very Fine (VF-20) | $20.30 to $28.02 |
| Extremely Fine (XF-40) | $22.44 to $31.67 |
| About Uncirculated (AU-50) | $27.61 to $38.98 |
| Mint State (MS-60) | $37.97 to $53.60 |
| Choice Unc (MS-63) | $60.40 to $85.27 |
| Gem Unc (MS-65) | $155 to $219 |
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 1878 United States Dollar worth today?
Figure roughly $20.30 as the realistic floor for a damage-free, well-worn 1878 United States Dollar, rising steadily through the grades to about $219 for a certified gem. Cleaned or damaged coins trade below these figures, though never below the $20.30 melt floor.
1878 United States Dollar specifications
- Series
- United States Coinage
- Year
- 1878
- Mint mark
- None (Philadelphia)
- Mintage
- Not recorded
- Composition
- Silver
- Weight
- 19.224 g
- Diameter
- 37.5 mm
- Silver content
- 0.55626 troy oz
Why this coin has no mint mark
The 1878 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.
The value drivers behind this coin
Official mintage figures for the 1878 United States Dollar are not well established. The museum-documented specimens behind our specifications provide the physical reference points for the issue, and the market prices it on observed scarcity.
Beneath the numismatics of the 1878 United States Dollar sits 0.5563 troy ounces of silver, $20.30 worth at today's spot price. When silver rallies, even the most common dates of this series rise with it.
Context adds the final layer to the 1878 United States Dollar. Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. Owning this date means owning a piece of that story, and demand for the series as a whole sustains liquidity for every issue in it.
1878 United States Dollar inscriptions & design
Obverse
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
head of Liberty l. wearing bonnet
Reverse
1 / DOLLAR/ 1878 in 3 lines
wreath of corn stalks, value within
Measured 1878 United States Dollar specimens
12 physically measured 1878 United States Dollar examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 19.224 g, 37.5 mm minting standard.
| Specimen | Weight | Diameter | Die axis | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1878 United States Dollar #1 | 1.672 g | 14.5 mm | - | Friedberg.USA.94, Breen.6099 |
| 1878 United States Dollar #2 | 14.24 g | 33 mm | 6 h | Judd.1557, Adams.Woodin.1565, Pollock.1749 |
| 1878 United States Dollar #3 | 16.69 g | 33 mm | 6 h | Judd.1563, Adams.Woodin.1570, Pollock.1754 |
| 1878 United States Dollar #4 | 14.24 g | 33 mm | 6 h | Judd.1563, Adams.Woodin.1570, Pollock.1754 |
| 1878 United States Dollar #5 | 26.69 g | 38 mm | 6 h | Judd.1550a, Adams.Woodin.1559, Pollock.1725 |
| 1878 United States Dollar #6 | 26.7 g | 38 mm | 6 h | Judd.1554, Adams.Woodin.1562, Pollock.1733 |
| 1878 United States Dollar #7 | 26.699 g | 37.5 mm | 6 h | Breen.Encyclopedia.5514 |
| 1878 United States Dollar #8 | 25.058 g | 38 mm | 6 h | Breen.5822f |
| 1878 United States Dollar #9 | 19.365 g | 38 mm | 6 h | Breen.5822f |
| 1878 United States Dollar #10 | 24.792 g | 38 mm | 6 h | Breen.5822f |
| 1878 United States Dollar #11 | 19.797 g | 38 mm | - | Breen.5819ctft |
| 1878 United States Dollar #12 | 18.631 g | 37.2 mm | 6 h | - |
Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.
Summary: the 1878 United States Dollar is valued between $20.30 and $219 as of 2026-06-15. Estimates combine mintage rarity, key-date status and metal content; they are editorial guidance, not an offer to buy.