The Trade Dollar was minted from 1873 to 1885. The coin was was issued strictly for trade with Japan, China and Korea. The US minted the Trade Dollar in response to Mexico, Great Britain and Spain beginning to circulate silver dollars in Asian countries. The campaign was a success and most trade dollars ended up in Asia during their first two years in circulation.
The Trade Dollar features Lady Liberty seated holding an olive branch towards the west on the obverse. Thirteen stars run along the top of the coin and the date is centered on the bottom. The reverse design features a bald eagle holding arrows and an olive branch in its talons. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is centered across the top of the coin, TRADE DOLLAR is centered along the bottom. Centered above TRADE DOLLAR reads 420 GRAMS, 900 FINE. This is a specification of the coins weight and silver content (90%). The Trade Dollar was designed by William Barber.
Many rare coins exist in this series. Many of the coins feature chopmarks, a marking placed on the coin by Asian merchants verifying the coin's authenticity. Examples without chopmarks are generally more valuable. Coins from 1879 to 1885 are the most valuable with only 15 coins being produced between 1884 and 1885 combined. Most years in this period feature around 1,000 coins minted.
