USA 1 dollar Trade Dollar 1878
USA, Carson City
Rarity
Rare
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 dollar |
| Krause number | KM# 108 |
| Mintage | 97,000 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| thickness | 3 mm |
| diameter | 37.8 mm |
| weight | 27.22 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
People
Star
Creators:
William Barber
IN GOD WE TRUST
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Bird
Coat of arms
Creators:
William Barber
420 GRAINS. 900 FINE.
E PLURIBUS UNUM
TRADE DOLLAR
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
Treasury Secretary John Sherman believed the trade dollar to be an abomination, and he informally ordered a halt to their distribution in October of 1877. This action proved unenforceable, as the mints already had existing deposits to fulfill. Production resumed for the time being, but Sherman struck back on February 22, 1878 with a more formal command to halt their production and sale. The Carson City Mint had already coined 97,000 pieces in anticipation of continued demand, but only a portion of these were already committed to depositors of silver. The remaining 44,148 coins were withheld from release and destroyed on July 19, leaving a net mintage of 52,852 pieces. As a consequence, the 1878-CC trade is very scarce in any grade, with the popular chop-marked specimens being rare. The number of Mint State survivors is a bit high in relation to the total population, but gems are quite rare. All 1878-CC trade dollars have the Tall CC mintmark. Three positional varieties are known, with the one having its mintmark centered above letters DO of DOLLAR being rare.Read More
