1884 Silver Dollar Value

by admin

Why a dollar today is worth only 4% of a dollar in 1884

Updated: January 13, 2020

$100 in 1884 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,657.90 today, an increase of $2,557.90 over 137 years.The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.42% per year between 1884 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 2,557.90%.

The 1884 Morgan Dollar has one of the higher mintages in the series. Enough examples were also saved, that coins up to about MS66 condition are considered somewhat common. In MS67 and higher they are much scarcer to rare. All 1884 coins are fully detailed with hand written stats, current melt values, both instrinsic & numismatic, prices,production numbers, and all other stats are current values that represent average marketplace or based off current silver or gold spot. We take pride in providing the most accurate coin values and stats online. Morgan Dollar Price Guide Last Update: 02-06 07:11 AM EST Silver $26.96 ( +0.60 ) as of 02-05 04:59 PM EST. Value of 1884-CC Morgan Silver Dollar. The 1884-CC Morgan Silver Dollar was considered to be a prime rarity until the 1930s. Nearly 85% of the original mintage of 1,136,000 coins-or 962,638 remained in the hands of the Treasury Department in 1964.

This means that today's prices are26.58 times higher thanaverage prices since 1884,according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.A dollar today only buys 3.76% of what it could buy back then.

The 1884 inflation rate was -2.97%. The current year-over-year inflation rate (2020 to 2021) is now 1.36%1.If this number holds, $100 today will be equivalent in buying power to $101.36 next year.The current inflation rate page gives more detail on the latest inflation rates.

Inflation from 1884 to 2021
Cumulative price change2,557.90%
Average inflation rate2.42%
Converted amount ($100 base)$2,657.90
Price difference ($100 base)$2,557.90
CPI in 18849.800
CPI in 2021260.474
Inflation in 1884-2.97%
Inflation in 20211.36%
$100 in 1884$2,657.90 in 2021
Annual Rate, the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI
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Buying power of $100 in 1884

This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $100 in 1884 (price index tracking began in 1635).

For example, if you started with $100, you would need to end with $2,657.90 in order to 'adjust' for inflation (sometimes refered to as 'beating inflation').

When $100 is equivalent to $2,657.90 over time, that means that the 'real value' of a single U.S. dollar decreases over time. In other words, a dollar will pay for fewer items at the store.

This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a dollar over time. By calculating the value in 1884 dollars, the chart below shows how $100 is worth less over 137 years.

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, each of these USD amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:

Dollar inflation: 1884-2021
YearDollar ValueInflation Rate
1884$100.00-2.97%
1885$98.98-1.02%
1886$95.92-3.09%
1887$96.941.06%
1888$96.940.00%
1889$93.88-3.16%
1890$92.86-1.09%
1891$92.860.00%
1892$92.860.00%
1893$91.84-1.10%
1894$87.76-4.44%
1895$85.71-2.33%
1896$85.710.00%
1897$84.69-1.19%
1898$84.690.00%
1899$84.690.00%
1900$85.711.20%
1901$86.731.19%
1902$87.761.18%
1903$89.802.33%
1904$90.821.14%
1905$89.80-1.12%
1906$91.842.27%
1907$95.924.44%
1908$93.88-2.13%
1909$92.86-1.09%
1910$96.944.40%
1911$96.940.00%
1912$98.982.11%
1913$101.022.06%
1914$102.041.01%
1915$103.061.00%
1916$111.227.92%
1917$130.6117.43%
1918$154.0817.97%
1919$176.5314.57%
1920$204.0815.61%
1921$182.65-10.50%
1922$171.43-6.15%
1923$174.491.79%
1924$174.490.00%
1925$178.572.34%
1926$180.611.14%
1927$177.55-1.69%
1928$174.49-1.72%
1929$174.490.00%
1930$170.41-2.34%
1931$155.10-8.98%
1932$139.80-9.87%
1933$132.65-5.11%
1934$136.733.08%
1935$139.802.24%
1936$141.841.46%
1937$146.943.60%
1938$143.88-2.08%
1939$141.84-1.42%
1940$142.860.72%
1941$150.005.00%
1942$166.3310.88%
1943$176.536.13%
1944$179.591.73%
1945$183.672.27%
1946$198.988.33%
1947$227.5514.36%
1948$245.928.07%
1949$242.86-1.24%
1950$245.921.26%
1951$265.317.88%
1952$270.411.92%
1953$272.450.75%
1954$274.490.75%
1955$273.47-0.37%
1956$277.551.49%
1957$286.733.31%
1958$294.902.85%
1959$296.940.69%
1960$302.041.72%
1961$305.101.01%
1962$308.161.00%
1963$312.241.32%
1964$316.331.31%
1965$321.431.61%
1966$330.612.86%
1967$340.823.09%
1968$355.104.19%
1969$374.495.46%
1970$395.925.72%
1971$413.274.38%
1972$426.533.21%
1973$453.066.22%
1974$503.0611.04%
1975$548.989.13%
1976$580.615.76%
1977$618.376.50%
1978$665.317.59%
1979$740.8211.35%
1980$840.8213.50%
1981$927.5510.32%
1982$984.696.16%
1983$1,016.333.21%
1984$1,060.204.32%
1985$1,097.963.56%
1986$1,118.371.86%
1987$1,159.183.65%
1988$1,207.144.14%
1989$1,265.314.82%
1990$1,333.675.40%
1991$1,389.804.21%
1992$1,431.633.01%
1993$1,474.492.99%
1994$1,512.242.56%
1995$1,555.102.83%
1996$1,601.022.95%
1997$1,637.762.29%
1998$1,663.271.56%
1999$1,700.002.21%
2000$1,757.143.36%
2001$1,807.142.85%
2002$1,835.711.58%
2003$1,877.552.28%
2004$1,927.552.66%
2005$1,992.863.39%
2006$2,057.143.23%
2007$2,115.732.85%
2008$2,196.973.84%
2009$2,189.15-0.36%
2010$2,225.061.64%
2011$2,295.303.16%
2012$2,342.802.07%
2013$2,377.111.46%
2014$2,415.671.62%
2015$2,418.540.12%
2016$2,449.051.26%
2017$2,501.222.13%
2018$2,563.572.49%
2019$2,608.751.76%
2020$2,640.941.23%
2021$2,657.900.64%*
* Compared to previous annual rate. Not final. See inflation summary for latest 12-month trailing value.

This conversion table shows various other 1884 amounts in today's dollars, based on the 2,557.90% change in prices:

Conversion: 1884 dollars today
Initial valueEquivalent value
$1dollarin 1884$26.58dollarstoday
$5dollarsin 1884$132.89dollarstoday
$10dollarsin 1884$265.79dollarstoday
$50dollarsin 1884$1,328.95dollarstoday
$100dollarsin 1884$2,657.90dollarstoday
$500dollarsin 1884$13,289.49dollarstoday
$1,000dollarsin 1884$26,578.98dollarstoday
$5,000dollarsin 1884$132,894.90dollarstoday
$10,000dollarsin 1884$265,789.80dollarstoday
$50,000dollarsin 1884$1,328,948.98dollarstoday
$100,000dollarsin 1884$2,657,897.96dollarstoday
$500,000dollarsin 1884$13,289,489.80dollarstoday
$1,000,000dollarsin 1884$26,578,979.59dollarstoday

Inflation by Spending Category

CPI is the weighted combination of many categories of spending that are tracked by the government. Breaking down these categories helps explain the main drivers behind price changes. This chart shows the average rate of inflation for select CPI categories between 1884 and 2021.

Compare these values to the overall average of 2.42% per year:

CategoryAvg Inflation (%)Total Inflation (%)$100 in 1884 → 2021
Food and beverages3.9118,952.2819,052.28
Housing4.1927,760.6427,860.64
Apparel1.951,315.921,415.92
Transportation3.177,080.517,180.51
Medical care4.7356,188.1456,288.14
Recreation1.11353.79453.79
Education and communication1.851,134.211,234.21
Other goods and services4.9978,573.5478,673.54

The graph below compares inflation in categories of goods over time. Click on a category such as 'Food' to toggle it on or off:

For all these visualizations, it's important to note that not all categories may have been tracked since 1884. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.

Inflation rates of specific categories

Medical Care· Housing· Rent· Food· More
1884 Silver Dollar Value

Inflation-adjusted measures

S&P 500 price·S&P 500 earnings·Shiller P/E

How to Calculate Inflation Rate for $100 since 1884

Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1884 and today:

×
=

Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 9.8 in the year 1884 and 260.474 in 2021:

×
=

$100 in 1884 has the same 'purchasing power' or 'buying power' as $2,657.90 in 2021.

To get the total inflation rate for the 137 years between 1884 and 2021, we use the following formula:

1884 0 morgan dollar
×
=

Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:

×
=

1884 Liberty Dollar

Comparison to S&P 500 Index

The average inflation rate of 2.42% has a compounding effect between 1884 and 2021. As noted above, this yearly inflation rate compounds to produce an overall price difference of 2,557.90% over 137 years.

To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $100 in the S&P 500 index in 1884, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $20,306,371.62 in 2021. This is a return on investment of 20,306,271.62%, with an absolute return of $20,306,271.62 on top of the original $100.

These numbers are not inflation adjusted, so they are considered nominal. In order to evaluate the real return on our investment, we must calculate the return with inflation taken into account.

The compounding effect of inflation would account for 96.24% of returns ($19,542,370.44) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $100 investment is $763,901.17. You may also want to account for capital gains tax, which would take your real return down to around $649,316 for most people.

1884 Silver Dollar Value O Mint Mark

Investment in S&P 500 Index, 1884-2021
Original AmountFinal AmountChange
Nominal$100$20,306,371.6220,306,271.62%
Real
Inflation Adjusted
$100$764,001.17763,901.17%

Information displayed above may differ slightly from other S&P 500 calculators. Minor discrepancies can occur because we use the latest CPI data for inflation, annualized inflation numbers for previous years, and we compute S&P price and dividends from January of 1884 to latest available data for 2021 using average monthly close price.

For more details on the S&P 500 between 1884 and 2021, see the stock market returns calculator.

News headlines from 1884

Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:

  • The first volume of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
  • Mahdist forces begin the Siege of Khartoum which lasts 10 months.
  • American Herman Hollerith patents the mechanical tabulating machine. This is considered the beginning of data processing.
  • Organization of Colonization of Africa at international conference in Berlin.

Raw data for these calculations comes fromthe Bureau of Labor Statistics'Consumer Price Index(CPI), established in 1913. Inflation data from 1665 to1912 is sourced from a historical study conducted by political scienceprofessor Robert Sahr at Oregon State University.

You may use the following MLA citation for this page:“Value of 1884 dollars today Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 6 Feb. 2021, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1884.

Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.

in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.

Other resources:

CoinTrackers.com has estimated the 1884 Morgan Silver Dollar value at an average of $30, one in certified mint state (MS+) could be worth $250. (see details)...

Type:Morgan Silver Dollar
Year:1884
Mint Mark: No mint mark
Face Value: 1.00 USD
Total Produced: 14,070,000 [?]
Silver Content: 90%
Silver Weight: 0.7735 oz.
Silver Melt: $21.05
Value: As a rough estimate of this coins value you can assume this coin in average condition will be valued at somewhere around $30, while one in certified mint state (MS+) condition could bring as much as $250 at auction. This price does not reference any standard coin grading scale. So when we say average, we mean in a similar condition to other coins issued in 1884, and mint state meaning it is certified MS+ by one of the top coin grading companies. [?].

Additional Info: No notes have been attached.

Numismatic vs Intrinsic Value:This coin in poor condition is still worth $8.95 more than the intrinsic value from silver content of $21.05, this coin is thus more valuable to a collector than to a silver bug. Coins worth more to a collectors may be a better long term investment. If the metal prices drop you will still have a coin that a numismatic would want to buy.

Want more info? Then read Coin Collecting Investment an article that details the benifits of coin collecting as a way to build wealth. Also learn how to properly store your coins.

Current silver melt value* for a 1884 No mint mark is $21.05 and this price is based off the current silver spot price of $27.22 This value is dynamic so bookmark it and comeback for an up to the minute silver melt value.

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**When we say that 14,070,000, of these coins were produced or minted in 1884 this number doesn't always match the actual circulation count for this coin. The numbers come from the United States mint, and they don't reflect coins that have been melted, destroyed, or those that have never been released. Please keep that in mind.

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***Price subject to standard supply and demand laws, dealer premiums, and other market variations. Prices represent past values fetched at online auctions, estate sales, certified coins being sold by dealers, and user submitted values. While we wholeheartedly try to give honest price estimates there are many factors besides appearance, metal content, and rarity that help make up the coins overall value.Call or visit your local coin dealer for more information.

We use user submitted pictures please read that article if you are interested in adding your own.

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