What is the difference between an 1885 Morgan silver dollar and a plain 1885 silver dollar?
All circulation-strike 1885 silver dollars are Morgan dollars. "Morgan" refers to the sculptor George T. Morgan who designed the coin."Plain" refers to a coin without a mint mark. Up till 1979 Philadelphia did not put a P mint mark on any $1 coins (and on almost all other coins minted there as well). So, an 1885 Morgan dollar minted in Philadelphia is considered to be "plain". Please see the Related Question for more information.To be annoyingly correct, the US also minted "trade dollars" in 1885, but these were intended for use outside of the country. 1885 was the last year trade dollars were minted and all were special proof coins.