Famous Morgan Dollar Error Realizes More than $136,000 in GreatCollections Sale

One of the greatest error coins known, which is certified by NGC®, has realized one of the highest prices ever paid for an error coin: $136,715. The 1887 Morgan Dollar graded NGC Mint Error MS 61 - Double Struck and pedigreed to the Weinberg Collection was offered at auction for the first time by online auction house GreatCollections, with bidding ending April 19, 2026.

This coin is ranked No. 6 in the 100 Greatest U.S. Error Coins book, written by Nicholas Brown; David Camire, NGC Senior Vice President for Conservation and Grading; and prominent coin dealer Fred Weinberg. Weinberg owned this particular coin for decades after acquiring it at a coin show in the late 1970s.

This is "the best double strike" of a Morgan Dollar known, said Weinberg, adding that when a second strike is off-center on these silver coins, it typically leaves just a small nub of the second strike near the edge. In contrast, this coin has dramatic doubling of the Liberty figure on the obverse and the eagle on the reverse. Its extreme rarity is because the US Mint has been very efficient at screening out errors in coins that are larger and made of precious metal.

The 1887 Morgan Dollar is a popular issue, and NGC had graded about 250,000 examples. A coin graded NGC MS 61 is valued around $110, according to the NGC US Coin Price Guide, indicating that this particular error coin's numismatic value is almost entirely in the error itself.

Other error coins certified by NGC have also posted impressive auction results, including:

• a 1794 Head of 94 Cent graded NGC Mint Error MS 66 BN - Double Struck, which realized $588,000 through Heritage Auctions in August 2024
• a 1944-S Cent struck on zinc-plated steel graded NGC Mint Error MS 66, which realized $373,750 through Heritage Auctions in July 2008
• a 1943 Bronze Cent graded NGC MS 62 BN, which realized $282,000 through Heritage Auctions in August 2017
• a (2000)-P Sacagawea Dollar Reverse Muled with a Washington Quarter Obverse graded NGC MS 67 Mint Error, which realized $120,000 through Heritage Auctions in January 2019
• a 2014-D Sacagawea Dollar Muled with a Presidential Reserve graded NGC Mint Error AU 58, which realized $84,000 through Heritage Auctions in April 2021

Prices realized include buyer's premium.