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Information About

Trade Dollar




The Trade Dollar was a Silver Dollar coin issued by the United States solely for trade in the orient with China , Korea , and Japan . While the Trade Dollar has the name, the Seated Liberty Dollar was also used in oriental trade.


SPECIFICATIONS

  • Obverse Design: Lady Liberty seated holding an olive branch towards the west

  • Reverse Design: A Bald Eagle holding arrows and an olive branch in its talons

  • Edge: Reeded

  • Weight: 27.22 grams

  • Diameter: 38.1 millimeters

  • Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

  • Silver Content: 0.7874 ounces



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.
Like they were 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 .


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.


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



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



EXTERNAL LINKS



  Before Seated Liberty Dollar after= American Silver Eagle