Discovering Trade Dollar Values: History, Grades, & More

American currency comes in the form of US Trade Dollars. The "trade dollar", a dollar-sized coin, was authorized by the federal government to entice overseas markets to choose US dollars over Mexican pesos.

To help American business owners avoid paying unnecessary costs while transacting with Asian business owners, a slightly larger silver coinage was produced. To make the coins more visually appealing, the US Mint ensured that their silver content was higher than that of the pesos.

The strategy was successful because the Trade Dollar was well-received in the east. Chinese entrepreneurs favored the US dollar's greater due to a temporary shortage of Mexican dollars.

This article will explore the trade dollar value, the factors affecting it, the grading system, and how to identify mintmarks and dates.

     Factors Affecting Trade Dollar Value

A trade dollar value is determined by its grade, condition, and year of minting. For instance, an uncirculated 1875 S Silver Dollar might fetch as much as $225,000, whereas a circulated 1875 Trade Dollar is valued between $175 and $1000.

Year	Coin Description	Value ($)
1873	TRADE T$1 MS65 PCGS	13,200
1874	TRADE T$1 MS64+ PCGS	38,500
1875	TRADE T$1, OVERMINTMARK MS64+ NGC	27,500
1876	TRADE T$1 MS64 PCGS	55,000
1878	TRADE T$1 PR64+ Deep Cameo CACG	17,600
1880	TRADE T$1 PR68 Cameo PCGS	120,000

     Understanding Trade Dollar Grades

The trade dollar was only produced for public use between 1873 and 1878, and proofs were kept on file until 1883. seldom seen proofs 1884-1885 were made covertly. Circulated trade dollar can be graded using the Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins.

Because of the many contact marks, mint condition and proof coins are difficult to grade, particularly San Francisco Mint offering spanning the years 1875-1878. As they were viewed as basic commodities. many of these coins were severely "bagmarked" and badly struck in specific region

Up until 1878, proof trade dollars were only sometimes struck; following that, their mintages dramatically surged. Despite this, minor scratches and poor cleaning techniques make flawless proof trade dollars uncommon. Gem-quality coins are unusual since many trade dollars were not well kept, especially those that never left the United States.

     Identifying Mintmarks and Dates

Three distinct mints produced trade silver dollars: San Francisco (S), Carson City (CC), and Philadelphia (no mint mark). The coin's reverse bears the mint mark, which is situated right above the words "TRADE DOLLAR" at the bottom.

     Trade Dollar Value Chart (by Year and Grade)

Year	Details	Mintage	G (4)	VG (8)	F (12)	VF (20)	EF (40)	AU (50)	MS (60)	MS (63)	PR (63)
1873 P		397,500	192	220	244	303	362	633	1,266	3,280	3,977
1873 CC		124,500	362	503	942	1,266	2,343	3,250	8,726	28,893	-
1873 S		703,000	214	244	273	362	530	684	1,706	4,449	-
1874 P		987,800	191	233	244	273	420	583	1,360	2,720	3,977
1874 CC		1,373,200	333	420	503	633	1,092	1,309	3,404	5,992	-
1874 S		2,549,000	192	214	221	273	320	476	1,119	2,516	-
1875 P	Type 1 Reverse	218,900	362	448	530	749	1,172	1,575	2,891	5,261	3,977
1875 P	Type 2 Reverse	N/A	244	291	448	608	879	1,433	3,044	5,318	-
1875 CC	Type 1 Reverse	1,573,700	448	476	503	608	879	1,063	2,891	5,352	-
1875 CC	Type 2 Reverse	N/A	448	476	503	633	942	1,172	3,404	6,389	-
1875 S	Type 1 Reverse	4,487,000	191	204	232	273	362	420	1,119	1,866	-
1875 S	Type 2 Reverse	N/A	191	204	232	244	391	476	1,330	2,654	-
1875 S	S Over CC	N/A	420	503	658	879	1,504	2,197	5,992	18,036	-
1876 P	All Varieties	456,150	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1876 P	Type 1 Obverse - Type 1 Reverse	N/A	191	204	232	244	362	503	1,063	1,706	-
1876 P	Type 1 Obverse - Type 2 Reverse	N/A	191	204	221	273	362	503	1,063	2,343	3,977
1876 P	Type 2 Obverse - Type 2 Reverse (Type II/II, Extremely Rare)	N/A	-	-	-	-	-	-	3,812	-	10,365
1876 CC	All Varieties	509,000	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1876 CC	Type 1 Obverse - Type 1 Reverse	N/A	583	633	684	911	1,146	2,466	8,727	28,893	-
1876 CC	Type 1 Obverse - Type 2 Reverse	N/A	557	608	717	942	1,266	2,119	6,671	22,987	-
1876 CC	Doubled Die Reverse (Type I/I)	N/A	633	717	846	1,063	1,575	2,596	10,734	32,167	-
1876 S	All Varieties	5,227,000	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1876 S	Type 1 Obverse - Type 1 Reverse	N/A	191	204	221	244	362	420	1,063	1,866	-
1876 S	Type 1 Obverse - Type 2 Reverse	N/A	191	204	221	244	362	420	1,063	2,343	-
1876 S	Type 2 Obverse - Type 2 Reverse (Type II/II)	N/A	191	204	244	362	583	1,004	1,765	3,110	-
1877 P		3,039,710	191	204	244	273	362	420	1,063	1,909	4,373
1877 CC		534,000	362	448	684	846	1,433	1,909	5,855	7,306	-
1877 S		9,519,000	191	204	221	248	362	391	1,063	1,765	-
1878 P	Proof Only	900	-	-	-	-	1,765	-	-	3,812	-
1878 CC		97,000	557	717	1,119	1,843	3,303	5,352	16,296	28,894	-
1878 S		4,162,000	145	175	191	204	244	362	1,172	2,559	-
1879 P	Proof Only	1,541	-	-	-	-	1,575	-	-	3,977	-
1880 P	Proof Only	1,987	-	-	-	-	1,575	-	-	3,977	-
1881 P	Proof Only	960	-	-	-	-	1,575	-	-	3,977	-
1882 P	Proof Only	1,097	-	-	-	-	1,575	-	-	3,977	-
1883 P	Proof Only	979	-	-	-	-	1,575	-	-	3,977	-
1884 P	Proof Only	10	-	-	-	-	1,575	-	-	525,981	-
1885 P	Proof Only	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1,718,064	-

     Where to Find Trade Dollar Values?

Trade dollars can be valued using eBay or the NGC Price Guide. In July 2024, for instance, the value of an 1876 trade dollar in circulated condition ranges from $175 to $1075, but in uncirculated condition, it can fetch up to $75,000 at auction.