1885 Silver Dollar Value
Value of $1 from 1885 to 2021
Silver dollar - 1985 - National Parks - 1885-1985 prices and values The melt and minimum value of a Silver dollar - 1985 - National Parks - 1885-1985 is $ 12.87 CAD. Prices in CAD $. Proof examples of Morgan Dollars from all years, including 1885, are rare which makes them expensive. 1885 Morgan Silver Dollar Mintage Figures 1885: 17,787,000; $35+ 1885-CC: 228,000; $550+ 1885-O: 9,185,000; $35+ 1885-S: 1,497,000; $50+ 1885. About 1885-CC Morgan Dollars (GSA) The 1885-CC GSA Morgan dollar is one of the scarcer GSA dollars, though by no means is it rare. From a mintage of 228,000, a total of 148,285 were released, or more than half the coin?s original production run. GSA 1885-CC Morgan dollars are encountered in soft packs and hard packs, and while many are.
– Minted from 1878-1904, and once again in 1921, the Morgan silver dollar is one of America's most popular collectible coins. To fully understand the history of these 90% silver beauties, we first have to go back to the era of our nation's great gold and silver rushes – particularly 1859 and the great Comstock Lode! Scott Rubin: The 1885 Trade Dollar is one of the rarest issues in all U.S. The total mintage is only five Proof examples. The total mintage is only five Proof examples. All five coins are known today, but the 1885 Trade Dollar was not known to exist until almost twenty-five years after its striking.
$1 in 1885 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $26.85 today, an increase of $25.85 over 136 years.The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.45% per year between 1885 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 2,585.30%.
This means that today's prices are26.85 times higher thanaverage prices since 1885,according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index.A dollar today only buys 3.72% of what it could buy back then.
The 1885 inflation rate was -1.02%. The current year-over-year inflation rate (2020 to 2021) is now 1.36%1.If this number holds, $1 today will be equivalent in buying power to $1.01 next year.The current inflation rate page gives more detail on the latest inflation rates.
| Cumulative price change | 2,585.30% |
| Average inflation rate | 2.45% |
| Converted amount ($1 base) | $26.85 |
| Price difference ($1 base) | $25.85 |
| CPI in 1885 | 9.700 |
| CPI in 2021 | 260.474 |
| Inflation in 1885 | -1.02% |
| Inflation in 2021 | 1.36% |
| $1 in 1885 | $26.85 in 2021 |
Buying power of $1 in 1885
1885 Morgan Silver Dollar P
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for $1 in 1885 (price index tracking began in 1635).
For example, if you started with $1, you would need to end with $26.85 in order to 'adjust' for inflation (sometimes refered to as 'beating inflation').
When $1 is equivalent to $26.85 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 1885 dollars, the chart below shows how $1 is worth less over 136 years.
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:
| Year | Dollar Value | Inflation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1885 | $1.00 | -1.02% |
| 1886 | $0.97 | -3.09% |
| 1887 | $0.98 | 1.06% |
| 1888 | $0.98 | 0.00% |
| 1889 | $0.95 | -3.16% |
| 1890 | $0.94 | -1.09% |
| 1891 | $0.94 | 0.00% |
| 1892 | $0.94 | 0.00% |
| 1893 | $0.93 | -1.10% |
| 1894 | $0.89 | -4.44% |
| 1895 | $0.87 | -2.33% |
| 1896 | $0.87 | 0.00% |
| 1897 | $0.86 | -1.19% |
| 1898 | $0.86 | 0.00% |
| 1899 | $0.86 | 0.00% |
| 1900 | $0.87 | 1.20% |
| 1901 | $0.88 | 1.19% |
| 1902 | $0.89 | 1.18% |
| 1903 | $0.91 | 2.33% |
| 1904 | $0.92 | 1.14% |
| 1905 | $0.91 | -1.12% |
| 1906 | $0.93 | 2.27% |
| 1907 | $0.97 | 4.44% |
| 1908 | $0.95 | -2.13% |
| 1909 | $0.94 | -1.09% |
| 1910 | $0.98 | 4.40% |
| 1911 | $0.98 | 0.00% |
| 1912 | $1.00 | 2.11% |
| 1913 | $1.02 | 2.06% |
| 1914 | $1.03 | 1.01% |
| 1915 | $1.04 | 1.00% |
| 1916 | $1.12 | 7.92% |
| 1917 | $1.32 | 17.43% |
| 1918 | $1.56 | 17.97% |
| 1919 | $1.78 | 14.57% |
| 1920 | $2.06 | 15.61% |
| 1921 | $1.85 | -10.50% |
| 1922 | $1.73 | -6.15% |
| 1923 | $1.76 | 1.79% |
| 1924 | $1.76 | 0.00% |
| 1925 | $1.80 | 2.34% |
| 1926 | $1.82 | 1.14% |
| 1927 | $1.79 | -1.69% |
| 1928 | $1.76 | -1.72% |
| 1929 | $1.76 | 0.00% |
| 1930 | $1.72 | -2.34% |
| 1931 | $1.57 | -8.98% |
| 1932 | $1.41 | -9.87% |
| 1933 | $1.34 | -5.11% |
| 1934 | $1.38 | 3.08% |
| 1935 | $1.41 | 2.24% |
| 1936 | $1.43 | 1.46% |
| 1937 | $1.48 | 3.60% |
| 1938 | $1.45 | -2.08% |
| 1939 | $1.43 | -1.42% |
| 1940 | $1.44 | 0.72% |
| 1941 | $1.52 | 5.00% |
| 1942 | $1.68 | 10.88% |
| 1943 | $1.78 | 6.13% |
| 1944 | $1.81 | 1.73% |
| 1945 | $1.86 | 2.27% |
| 1946 | $2.01 | 8.33% |
| 1947 | $2.30 | 14.36% |
| 1948 | $2.48 | 8.07% |
| 1949 | $2.45 | -1.24% |
| 1950 | $2.48 | 1.26% |
| 1951 | $2.68 | 7.88% |
| 1952 | $2.73 | 1.92% |
| 1953 | $2.75 | 0.75% |
| 1954 | $2.77 | 0.75% |
| 1955 | $2.76 | -0.37% |
| 1956 | $2.80 | 1.49% |
| 1957 | $2.90 | 3.31% |
| 1958 | $2.98 | 2.85% |
| 1959 | $3.00 | 0.69% |
| 1960 | $3.05 | 1.72% |
| 1961 | $3.08 | 1.01% |
| 1962 | $3.11 | 1.00% |
| 1963 | $3.15 | 1.32% |
| 1964 | $3.20 | 1.31% |
| 1965 | $3.25 | 1.61% |
| 1966 | $3.34 | 2.86% |
| 1967 | $3.44 | 3.09% |
| 1968 | $3.59 | 4.19% |
| 1969 | $3.78 | 5.46% |
| 1970 | $4.00 | 5.72% |
| 1971 | $4.18 | 4.38% |
| 1972 | $4.31 | 3.21% |
| 1973 | $4.58 | 6.22% |
| 1974 | $5.08 | 11.04% |
| 1975 | $5.55 | 9.13% |
| 1976 | $5.87 | 5.76% |
| 1977 | $6.25 | 6.50% |
| 1978 | $6.72 | 7.59% |
| 1979 | $7.48 | 11.35% |
| 1980 | $8.49 | 13.50% |
| 1981 | $9.37 | 10.32% |
| 1982 | $9.95 | 6.16% |
| 1983 | $10.27 | 3.21% |
| 1984 | $10.71 | 4.32% |
| 1985 | $11.09 | 3.56% |
| 1986 | $11.30 | 1.86% |
| 1987 | $11.71 | 3.65% |
| 1988 | $12.20 | 4.14% |
| 1989 | $12.78 | 4.82% |
| 1990 | $13.47 | 5.40% |
| 1991 | $14.04 | 4.21% |
| 1992 | $14.46 | 3.01% |
| 1993 | $14.90 | 2.99% |
| 1994 | $15.28 | 2.56% |
| 1995 | $15.71 | 2.83% |
| 1996 | $16.18 | 2.95% |
| 1997 | $16.55 | 2.29% |
| 1998 | $16.80 | 1.56% |
| 1999 | $17.18 | 2.21% |
| 2000 | $17.75 | 3.36% |
| 2001 | $18.26 | 2.85% |
| 2002 | $18.55 | 1.58% |
| 2003 | $18.97 | 2.28% |
| 2004 | $19.47 | 2.66% |
| 2005 | $20.13 | 3.39% |
| 2006 | $20.78 | 3.23% |
| 2007 | $21.38 | 2.85% |
| 2008 | $22.20 | 3.84% |
| 2009 | $22.12 | -0.36% |
| 2010 | $22.48 | 1.64% |
| 2011 | $23.19 | 3.16% |
| 2012 | $23.67 | 2.07% |
| 2013 | $24.02 | 1.46% |
| 2014 | $24.41 | 1.62% |
| 2015 | $24.43 | 0.12% |
| 2016 | $24.74 | 1.26% |
| 2017 | $25.27 | 2.13% |
| 2018 | $25.90 | 2.49% |
| 2019 | $26.36 | 1.76% |
| 2020 | $26.68 | 1.23% |
| 2021 | $26.85 | 0.64%* |
This conversion table shows various other 1885 amounts in today's dollars, based on the 2,585.30% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| $1dollarin 1885 | $26.85dollarstoday |
| $5dollarsin 1885 | $134.26dollarstoday |
| $10dollarsin 1885 | $268.53dollarstoday |
| $50dollarsin 1885 | $1,342.65dollarstoday |
| $100dollarsin 1885 | $2,685.30dollarstoday |
| $500dollarsin 1885 | $13,426.49dollarstoday |
| $1,000dollarsin 1885 | $26,852.99dollarstoday |
| $5,000dollarsin 1885 | $134,264.95dollarstoday |
| $10,000dollars in 1885 | $268,529.90dollarstoday |
| $50,000dollarsin 1885 | $1,342,649.48dollarstoday |
| $100,000dollarsin 1885 | $2,685,298.97dollarstoday |
| $500,000dollarsin 1885 | $13,426,494.85dollarstoday |
| $1,000,000dollarsin 1885 | $26,852,989.69dollarstoday |
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 1885 and 2021.
Compare these values to the overall average of 2.45% per year:
| Category | Avg Inflation (%) | Total Inflation (%) | $1 in 1885 → 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and beverages | 3.91 | 18,236.02 | 183.36 |
| Housing | 4.19 | 26,638.95 | 267.39 |
| Apparel | 1.95 | 1,288.79 | 13.89 |
| Transportation | 3.17 | 6,859.96 | 69.60 |
| Medical care | 4.73 | 53,645.34 | 537.45 |
| Recreation | 1.11 | 348.81 | 4.49 |
| Education and communication | 1.85 | 1,111.78 | 12.12 |
| Other goods and services | 4.99 | 74,836.13 | 749.36 |
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 1885. This table and charts use the earliest available data for each category.
Inflation rates of specific categories
Medical Care· Housing· Rent· Food· MoreInflation-adjusted measures
S&P 500 price·S&P 500 earnings·Shiller P/EHow to Calculate Inflation Rate for $1 since 1885
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1885 and today:
Then plug in historical CPI values. The U.S. CPI was 9.7 in the year 1885 and 260.474 in 2021:
$1 in 1885 has the same 'purchasing power' or 'buying power' as $26.85 in 2021.
To get the total inflation rate for the 136 years between 1885 and 2021, we use the following formula:
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
Comparison to S&P 500 Index
The average inflation rate of 2.45% has a compounding effect between 1885 and 2021. As noted above, this yearly inflation rate compounds to produce an overall price difference of 2,585.30% over 136 years.
To help put this inflation into perspective, if we had invested $1 in the S&P 500 index in 1885, our investment would be nominally worth approximately $231,644.80 in 2021. This is a return on investment of 23,164,380.28%, with an absolute return of $231,643.80 on top of the original $1.
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 96.28% of returns ($223,018.40) during this period. This means the inflation-adjusted real return of our $1 investment is $8,625.41. You may also want to account for capital gains tax, which would take your real return down to around $7,332 for most people.
| Original Amount | Final Amount | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal | $1 | $231,644.80 | 23,164,380.28% |
| Real Inflation Adjusted | $1 | $8,626.41 | 862,540.64% |
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 1885 to latest available data for 2021 using average monthly close price.
For more details on the S&P 500 between 1885 and 2021, see the stock market returns calculator.
News headlines from 1885
Politics and news often influence economic performance. Here's what was happening at the time:
- King Leopold II of Belgium makes Congo his own personal, colonial possession.
- Congo is given to Belgium whilst Nigeria is awarded to Great Britain during the Berlin Conference
- Bismarck, German chancellor, conquers Cameron and Togoland
- Louis Pasteur conducts the first successful test of an anti-rabies vaccine
- Gottlieb Daimler invents the first motorcycle.
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.
1885 Silver Dollar Value Today
You may use the following MLA citation for this page:“$1 in 1885 → 2021 | Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 5 Feb. 2021, https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1885?amount=1.
1885 Silver Dollar Value Mint Mark
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
1885 Silver Dollar Value Philadelphia
in2013dollars.com is a reference website maintained by the Official Data Foundation.
1882 Silver Dollar Value
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