Years
Designer
William Barber
Composition
90% silver, 10% copper
Diameter
38.1 mm
Mass
27.22 g
Thickness
2.4 mm
Edge
Reeded
Mints
Philadelphia, San Francisco, Carson City
Metal
Silver
Design
Liberty seated on a bale of cotton, facing the sea, with an olive branch. Reverse an eagle with TRADE DOLLAR and the weight 420 GRAINS, 900 FINE — a coin designed to be weighed in Asian markets.
History
Meant to compete with the Mexican dollar in China after the Coinage Act of 1873 (the 'Crime of ’73') ended the standard silver dollar. Many were chopmarked by Chinese merchants. Legal tender at home was limited, then revoked in 1876, leaving holders with a bullion disc. Business strikes ended 1878; proofs continued, including clandestine 1884 and 1885. Chopmarked examples are now collected as evidence of the Pacific trade, not as damage.
Key dates
39 issues