INDEX
A Trade Dollar contains 0.7875 troy oz of silver — about $53.62 at today's silver price.
Spot price as of August 26, 2026
About This Series
Congress authorized the trade dollar in 1873 specifically for commerce with China and other Asian markets, where Mexican silver pesos had long dominated. William Barber designed it at 420 grains, slightly heavier than a standard dollar. The coins worked fine in Asia but flooded back into US circulation during a silver glut, and Congress stripped their legal tender status in 1876. Regular strikes ended in 1878; proof-only issues continued through 1883, then secret coinages of about 10 pieces each were struck in 1884 and 1885. Those latter two dates are extraordinarily rare and hotly disputed among scholars.
Specifications
1873–1885
- Composition
- 90% Silver, 10% Copper
- Fineness
- 90.0%
- Weight
- 27.22 g
- Diameter
- 38.1 mm
- ASW
- 0.7875 oz
- Years Produced
- 1873–1885
Melt Value
Based on silver spot price of $68.09/oz
Spot price as of August 26, 2026
Mintage by year and mint
“Low mintage” marks a year at or below 10% of the median business-strike mintage for its own denomination; “Scarce for the series” marks one above 10% and at or below 25%. The median here is 521,500. That is a statement about how many were struck, not about how many survive or what collectors pay.
| Year | Mint | Business strikes | Proof | Relative mintage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1873 | Carson City | 124,500 | Not listed by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1873 | Philadelphia | 396,635 | 865 | |
| 1873 | San Francisco | 703,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1874 | Carson City | 1,373,200 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1874 | Philadelphia | 987,100 | 700 | |
| 1874 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1875 | Carson City | 1,573,700 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1875 | Philadelphia | 218,200 | 700 | |
| 1875 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1876 | Carson City | 509,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1876 | Philadelphia | 455,000 | Not published by NGC | |
| 1876 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1877 | Carson City | 534,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1877 | Philadelphia | Not published by NGC | 510 | |
| 1877 | San Francisco | Not published by NGC | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1878 | Carson City | 97,000 | Not listed by NGC | Scarce for the series |
| 1878 | Philadelphia | Not listed by NGC | 900 | |
| 1878 | San Francisco | 4,162,000 | Not listed by NGC | |
| 1879 | Philadelphia | Not listed by NGC | 1,541 | |
| 1880 | Philadelphia | Not listed by NGC | 1,987 | |
| 1881 | Philadelphia | Not listed by NGC | 960 | |
| 1882 | Philadelphia | Not listed by NGC | 1,097 | |
| 1883 | Philadelphia | Not listed by NGC | 979 | |
| 1884 | Philadelphia | Not listed by NGC | 10 | |
| 1885 | Philadelphia | Not listed by NGC | 5 | |
| Mintages as published by NGC Coin Explorer, 2026-03 snapshot. Covers 1873–1885. NGC Coin Explorer does not list every date and mint, so this is what it publishes rather than a complete census. | ||||