United States: 1877-S silver Trade dollar

United States: 1877-S silver Trade dollar

PCGS VF35. Cert. #46510053.

Numista-16466, Krause-Mishler-108.

Mintage: 9,519,000.

Ex-"rokas", eBay, 17 July 2022. Purchased raw.

The United States Trade dollar was created to facilitate trade overseas with the Far East, where large silver coins were popular in commerce. They were unpopular within the United States, however, and the domestic legal tender status of the Trade dollar was repealed in 1876, making it the only United States coin type to ever be demonetized. (It was eventually remonetized by the Coinage Act of 1965.)

Trade dollars as collectibles are popular. While they're not exactly inexpensive, they are obtainable. Many of the ones that circulated abroad are found with chopmarks from Chinese merchants. This particular date, the 1877-S, with its mintage of over nine and a half million pieces, is by far the most common date in the series.

While I would like to own a Mint State (or better yet, a Proof) example someday, a circulated piece is more in line with my usual budget. I did want one with a particular look, and this one is pretty close to the contrasting grey "Circulation Cameo" appearance I like on circulated silver coins. Despite a few scattered small marks, I think it is quite attractive and wholesome looking for the grade. It did not quite achieve the XF40 grade I was hoping for when I submitted it to PCGS, but close enough.



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