Rare 1878 Morgan Dollar Errors (List & Pictures)
A Doubled Bow Proof sold for $19,975 in June 2016. The 1878 Morgan dollar errors and die varieties below have estimated whole-coin values of $75–$30,000, including ordinary coins and specially prepared Proofs.
Begin with the tail-feather design and mintmark, then compare date remnants, small die features, face alignment, and the original border.
| Feature | Category | Whole-coin range |
|---|---|---|
| Extra feather tips or repeated designs | Doubled design | $75–$30,000, depending on finish |
| Earlier date outlines | Repeated date punches | $100–$4,000 |
| Missing detail, raised lines, or dots | Die polishing, tool marks, or breaks | $75–$5,000 |
| Copied border beads | Denticle clash | $100–$3,000 |
| Tilted reverse after a flip | Rotated dies | $250–$6,000 |
| Missing original border details | Off-center strike | $1,500–$8,000 |
1. 1878 Dollar Extra tail-feather tips and repeated artwork: doubled designs Error
On 7/8 tail-feather varieties, remnants of an earlier eight-feather design show beneath seven main feathers. Both designs were impressed into the die, which then transferred the combined details to coins.
Other varieties repeat letters, blossoms, stars, eyelids, leaves, or the wreath bow. Philadelphia Doubled Bow and Spiked Eye patterns also occur on collector Proofs.
How to Identify
Separate ordinary strikes from Proofs and record the mint before choosing a reference. Shine alone cannot establish Proof manufacture.
For 7/8 varieties, compare the number and positions of the earlier tips below the main tail. Normal seven- and eight-feather designs by themselves are not production errors.
Other doubled features require their own mint-specific patterns. Keep Philadelphia and San Francisco RIB doubling separate, and compare Carson City leaf varieties with CC references.
Follow several rounded repeated contours instead of relying on a single flat shelf. The coin did not need two strikes to acquire doubling already present in its die.
What It’s Worth
The combined estimated range is $75–$30,000, with ordinary doubled-design varieties around $75–$15,000 and the listed Proof examples around $2,000–$30,000.
PCGS records the Doubled Bow Proof at $19,975 in June 2016. Its Spiked Eye Proof listing records $16,200 in September 2020.
These prices include the valuable complete Proof coins. A worn ordinary strike needs a different finish and condition comparison.
2. 1878 Dollar Earlier contours beside the date: repeated date punches Error
The seven-tail-feather VAM-170 is called Double Date. Eight-tail-feather VAM-18, VAM-19, and VAM-20 are separate Doubled Date varieties with their own earlier numeral remnants.
The repeated outlines came from how the date entered the die. The shared nickname does not make all four patterns identical.
How to Identify
Count the main tail feathers first, then select the appropriate date photograph. Compare each extra curve or straight stroke in relation to its main digit.
The supplied description does not set a universal direction or number of visible remnants. Glare and flat strike-doubling shelves should not be counted as earlier numeral strokes without a complete pattern match.
What It’s Worth
Identified repeated-date varieties have an estimated range of $100–$4,000 from worn through attractive unworn examples.
No individual sale is supplied for these date patterns. The seven- and eight-feather groups need their own grade and scarcity comparisons.
3. 1878 Dollar An incomplete ear or letter: weakened die details Error
Philadelphia examples include Polished Ear, Polished LIB, and Weak LIB varieties. LIB refers to letters in LIBERTY on the band above the forehead.
Polishing a die can remove shallow design recesses, leaving later coins with incomplete details. Other names, including Broken N&M and Broken R&B, describe specific incomplete shapes without proving an identical cause for every variety.
How to Identify
Compare the weak feature with nearby details of similar height. Local loss beside sharp design differs from wear smoothing exposed areas together.
For an ear variety, inspect its internal contours; for LIB, examine the remaining band-letter shapes. Match the exact gaps and neighboring details to the chosen variety.
Scrubbing, rubbing, or scraping on the finished coin can remove detail too. Those surface changes do not establish die polishing.
What It’s Worth
Clearly identified ordinary examples have an estimated whole-coin range of $75–$1,500.
No specific auction amount is supplied for these forms. Small common features may add little, while scarce patterns require both a firm attribution and a condition match.
4. 1878 Dollar Dots, flakes, or a bonnet ridge: die chips and cracks Error
Philadelphia varieties include Face Chips, Chip in Ear, Eye Dots, a border-bead-area chip, and Cracked Bonnet. A cavity or crack in the die leaves raised silver on the finished coin.
Dot on Ear and Flake on Ear are names for particular identifying appearances. A raised flake-shaped mark is different from loose metal peeling off the dollar.
How to Identify
Inspect the height and full outline under light from two directions without picking at the feature. Its exact relationship to hair, letters, or the ear must agree with a named reference.
Follow the Cracked Bonnet ridge across the cap rather than treating an isolated scratch as the same pattern. A later blow that pushes silver upward may leave a nearby depression or disturbed texture.
What It’s Worth
Identified ordinary chip and crack varieties have an estimated range of $75–$2,500.
No individual realized sale is supplied for this group. Scarcity, preservation, and an exact match can matter more than the physical size of one bump.
5. 1878 Dollar Raised wing lines or unusual eye marks: die tool features Error
Carson City has a Lines in Wing variety, while San Francisco has Torn Bonnet and several Lava Wing forms. Philadelphia reports include lines in hair or lettering and a line below a date digit.
Names such as Spear Point, Stick Feather, and Wild Eye describe other specific appearances. A cut or gouge in a steel die can leave a raised copy, but a nickname alone does not establish every feature’s origin.
How to Identify
Read CC, S, or the absence of a mintmark beneath the wreath before selecting a reference. Compare the feature in the named location rather than any similar-looking line elsewhere.
Use low light to distinguish raised tool marks from cuts into the finished coin. Neighboring design points should agree with the same variety image.
What It’s Worth
The estimated whole-coin range is $75–$5,000 across these ordinary varieties, allowing for differences in mint, scarcity, and grade.
An 1878-S Lava Wing VAM-50 graded PCGS AU53 sold for $111.63 in July 2013. Its worn condition and exact attribution do not price every Lava Wing or Carson City variety alike.
6. 1878 Dollar Border-bead shapes away from their normal location: denticle clash Error
San Francisco VAM-17A is listed for clashed denticles, the short border beads inside the rim. Dies meeting without a blank can transfer these shapes onto one another.
Later dollars copy the altered die surface. The extra bead pattern is not evidence of a second complete strike on that individual coin.
How to Identify
Confirm S and compare the copied shapes with the exact VAM-17A photographs. Their spacing and relationship to the normal artwork must make sense as a transferred pattern.
The supplied description does not locate every bead impression, so avoid inventing a fixed path. Inspect surrounding silver for disturbance from later dents or contact.
What It’s Worth
An authenticated 1878-S denticle-clash variety has an estimated range of $100–$3,000.
No individual completed sale is supplied. The clarity of the copied pattern and the dollar’s preservation influence its whole-coin value.
7. 1878 Dollar The eagle finishes 60 degrees clockwise: rotated dies Error
A recorded 1878-CC PCGS MS65 dollar leaves the eagle 60 degrees clockwise from normal after a controlled top-to-bottom flip. The dies were aligned differently from their intended relationship.
The coin did not need to spin between strikes. Other Carson City coins have different angles, and the angle alone does not assign a VAM number.
How to Identify
Practice the flip with a normal dollar, holding Liberty upright and turning around a horizontal axis without a sideways twist. Repeat the motion with the candidate and record fixed-position views.
Turn a sealed coin’s entire holder and check whether the coin can move inside it. The known specimen’s reverse should finish about 60 degrees clockwise, while another coin requires its own measurement.
What It’s Worth
Comparable authenticated 1878-CC rotations have an estimated whole-coin range of $250–$6,000.
The PCGS MS65 60-degree example sold for $1,955 in March 2006. Carson City’s underlying collector value is already part of that amount.
8. 1878 Dollar Complete words but missing border beads: off-center strike Error
Heritage described an 1878-S PCGS MS62 dollar as 5% off center toward 1 o’clock. Its lettering remains complete, but parts of the upper-front and lower-reverse border beads fall beyond the metal.
This missing original border detail distinguishes the example from an uncentered broadstrike retaining the whole design. The coin also has later surface marks and a small scratch below the second S in STATES.
How to Identify
Inspect the border first instead of treating complete lettering as proof of a centered strike. Compare the two faces with the auction images and relate the missing beads to the 1 o’clock shift.
Check the edge for filing or flattening that might remove border detail afterward. A normal Morgan diameter is about 38.1 millimeters, but dimensions alone cannot establish the mechanism.
If all border beads and letters remain, reconsider an uncentered broadstrike. The original missing design at the edge is the useful clue on this particular coin.
What It’s Worth
Comparable authenticated first-year Morgan off-center errors have an estimated range of $1,500–$8,000.
This PCGS MS62 example sold for $4,025 at Heritage in January 2004. Its modest percentage still attracted strong interest, but the scratch and other marks remain part of the condition comparison.
Conclusion
An 1878 dollar’s tail feathers, mint, and finish determine which small-feature reference is appropriate. Extra feather tips differ from an ordinary eight-feather design, and a bright surface alone does not establish a Proof.
For larger striking errors, inspect both faces and the original border. Complete words can survive a mild off-center strike even when border beads do not, making the whole coin more informative than one enlarged detail.
