How do I know if my 1804 silver dollar is real?
Christopher Davis
Updated on April 09, 2026
A good way of quickly identifying a fake is the get a precise weight in grams. Jewelers will often weigh your coin on their precision scales. A genuine silver dollar dated between 1798 and 1804 weighs 26.9 grams. If yours weighs more or less than 26.9 grams, it’s a counterfeit.
Are all 1804 silver dollars accounted for?
No 1804 dollars were struck before the 1830s, and 1804 dollars were restruck in 1858 and later. These tend to be categorized with backdated 1801, 1802 and 1803 Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle silver dollars that were specially struck at times that are currently unknown, though probably not before 1858. All are novodels.
How much is a 1804 silver dollar worth?
CoinTrackers.com has estimated the 1804 1804 Dollar value at an average of $18050.00, one in certified mint state (MS+) could be worth $90,250.
How many 1804 silver dollars are there in the world?
The 1804 silver dollars are also some of the rarest and most valuable of all US coins. This is sometimes known as the “King of Coins”. There are also a few varieties of these coins and only around 20 of them are known to exist.
How much does a real 1804 silver dollar weigh?
1804 dollar
| United States | |
| Value | 1 U.S. dollar |
| Mass | Class I: 410.21 grains (26.581 g)–416.4 grains (26.98 g) Class II: 392.6 grains (25.45 g) Class III: 402.8 grains (26.10 g)–416.25 grains (26.973 g) |
| Diameter | 37-40 mm (1.49-1.57 in) |
| Obverse |
|---|
How much does an 1804 silver dollar weigh?
Can you tell if a 1804 silver dollar is a fake?
With regards to the 1804 silver dollar, it was never a circulated coin. This makes it easy to spot a fake as any wear at all would be an obvious tell that it is a fake coin. To help illustrate the differences, I have attached a fake coin (upper image) and a genuine one (lower image) here from PCGS.
What was the design of the 1804 US dollar?
The dollars included the sets bore the Draped Bust design, depicting an allegorical representation of Liberty on the obverse and a heraldic eagle on the reverse. A list of diplomatic gifts was also proposed for missions to Japan and Cochin-China (today part of Vietnam), which included two additional sets of coins.
Who was the Mint Director of the 1804 silver dollar?
Two of the statutory U.S. coins — the silver dollar and eagle (or $10 gold piece) — hadn’t been issued since 1804, but Mint Director Samuel Moore decided to include them anyway. Genuine 1804 eagles had been made, but no dies had ever existed for 1804 silver dollars.
When was the last year the silver dollar was minted?
During their research, they discovered that the last year both the ten dollar gold coin and the silver dollar had been minted was in 1804, so they had new dies made with the date 1804, and that is how the 1804 Silver dollar came to be.
