Trade Dollar (United States coin)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dollar (United States)
Value: 1.00 U.S. dollars
Mass: 27.2 g
Diameter: 38.1 mm
Thickness: 3.1 mm
Edge: Reeded
Composition: 90% Ag

10% Cu

Years of Minting: 1873-1885
Catalog Number: -
Obverse
Obverse
Design: Lady Liberty seated holding an olive branch towards the west
Designer: William Barber
Design Date: 1873
Reverse
Reverse
Design: A Bald Eagle holding arrows and an olive branch in its talons. Coin specifications minted below. 420 GRAINS, .900 FINE
Designer: William Barber
Design Date: 1873

The Trade Dollar was a silver dollar coin issued by the United States solely for trade in the orient with China, Korea, and Japan.

Contents

[edit] History

The Trade Dollar was in response to other Western powers in Asia circulating large, crown size silver coins like Great Britain, Spain, and France. Trade Dollars were not circulated in the United States but were legal tender. The main reason for this was because Trade Dollars had a slightly higher silver content than the Seated Liberty Dollar and Morgan Dollar which were minted for circulation in America. As had been intended, many Trade Dollars ended up in the orient. Some of them have oriental chopmarks which were counterstamps from the orient. Many trade dollar coins of the western powers and of the large silver coins from China, Korea, and Japan have these chopmarks. Coins with chopmarks are worth less than those without. The United States Trade Dollar officially was terminated in 1887 and all, non-mutilated outstanding Trade Dollars were redeemed by the United States Treasury.

[edit] Mints

The majority of Trade Dollars were minted at the mints on the United States west coast at San Francisco and Carson City. Many dollars were also minted in Philadelphia including all Trade Dollar proofs. The mint mark was located on the reverse above the letter "D" in DOLLAR.

[edit] Rarities

In the series of Trade Dollars, all coins are valuable, even chopmarked coins. The coins with the most value are the last six years, 1879-1885 (All at Philadelphia). These coins were all proofs and have much smaller mintages than other dates:

  • 1879-P: 1,541
  • 1880-P: 1,987
  • 1881-P: 960
  • 1882-P: 1,097
  • 1883-P: 979
  • 1884-P: 10
  • 1885-P: 5

[edit] References

  • Yeoman, R.S. A Guide Book of United States Coins Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2004
  • Edler, Joel and Harper, Dave U.S. Coin Digest Iola: Krause Publications, 2004

[edit] External links


Preceded by
Seated Liberty Dollar
Trade Dollar Coin of the United States

Dollar Coin of the United States (1873–1885)


Concurrent with:

Seated Liberty Dollar (1873)

Morgan Dollar (1878-1885)

Succeeded by
Morgan Dollar

American Silver Eagle'


In other languages