What is the value of an 1896 silver eagle coin?

Silver "eagle" coins are modern bullion pieces issued since 1986 for sale to investors and collectors. Your coin is a silver dollar and it was struck for use in ordinary commerce. It's often called a Morgan dollar after the artist who designed it.

It contains about 25 gm of pure silver; the rest is copper. Silver was worth much less back then so the coin was in fact worth exactly $1 at the time. Today it's worth much more - please see the Related Question.