Q. David Bowers
NGC and PCGS MS-63: Analysis
Below are the combined totals of Morgan silver dollars in MS-63 grade, in order from the commonest to the rarest, as reflected by the number of certified by NGC and PCGS as of September 1992. Again, this listing is most meaningful toward its end, at which point several major rarities emerge. The figure of 25,873 1881-S and other high population dollars certified in MS-63 represents just a tiny fraction of the total in existence.
1881-S: 25,873 (Most common certified Morgan dollar at this grade level)
1884-O: 19,063
1885-O: 16,944
1887: 14,815
1904-O: 13,551
1880-S: 13,498
1886: 11,963
1883-O: 11,710
1879-S Third Rev. (Rev. of '79): 9,430
1882-S: 7,746
1885: 7,023
1898-O: 6,873
1899-O: 6,378
1902-O: 5,951
1921: 5,951
1884-CC: 0,255
1878-S : 5,167
1900-O: 4,870
1883-CC: 4,739
1888: 4,496
1896: 4,216
1889: 3,890
1900: 3,612
1882-CC: 3,535
1901-O: 3,522
1883: 3,096
1882-O: 3,030
1888-O: 2,768
1878-CC: 2,715
1898: 2,372
1881-O: 2,347
1882: 2,310
1885-CC: 2,127
1897: 2,101
1881-CC: 2,035
1884: 2,019
1890: 1,986
1880: 1,959
1903: 1,870
1879: 1,763
1890-O: 1,762
1921-D: 1,751
1878 7 TF. Rev. of '78: 1,631
1903-O: 1,585
1897-S: 1,571
1881: 1,552
1891-CC: 1,503
1880-CC: 1,492
1921-S: 1,437
1899: 1,436
1878 8 TF: 1,365
1890-S: 1,274
1887-O: 1,272
1885-S: 1,184
1878 7/0ther TF: 1,161
1892-O: 1,111
1879-O: 1,100
1889-S: 981
1891-S: 918
1890-CC:861
1887-S: 851
1891:812
1900-O/CC: 811
1902:791
1904:783
1891-O: 736
1880-O: 730
1900-S: 723
1889-O: 709
1888-S: 687
1902-S: 679
1892-CC: 655
1878 7 TF. Rev. of 79: 608
1892:607
1886-S: 598
1899-S: 503
1898-S: 498
1893:452
1901-S: 430
1894-S: 346
1879-S Second Rev. (Rev. of '78): 318
1880-CC Rev. of '78: 279
1879-CC: 277
1883-S: 260
1896-S: 221
1893-CC: 216
1904-S: 173
1886-O: 171
1895-S: 162
1887/6: 147
1894-O: 128
1894: 113
1879-CC Large CC over Small CC: 108
1903-S: 93
1897-O: 72
1893-O: 61
1887/6-O: 42
1889-CC: 38
1882-O/S: 33
1896-O: 27
1901:27
1884-S: 21
1895-O: 12
1893-S: 7
1892-S: 6