Tag Archives: counterfeit trade dollars

Mismatched Counterfeit Trade Dollars

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By Jack Riley

Today we explore the Trade Dollar’s common obverse matched with various (and improbable) reverses–an 1874-P, 1873-S and 1874-S–all sharing the same obverse.

The U.S. Mint began producing Trade Dollars in 1873 in the hope to boost trade, especially in East Asia, and to compete with the Mexican Peso. 

The Trade Dollar is heavier than the Morgan silver dollar, again to compete with the Mexican counterpart. The Peso weights 27.07 grams with 90.27% silver compared to the Morgan Dollar’s 26.73 grams, 90% silver content.

There are two Trade Dollar reverse types. The Type 2 Reverse was used on Trade dollars between 1875 and 1876 and on all Trade dollars beginning in 1877. The latter design is missing a berry under the eagle’s claw:

First fake up in this article is an 1874-P Trade Dollar with a Type 2 reverse! This reverse wasn’t used until 1875 at the Philadelphia mint. I like to call this the “Dented Denticles” as the obverse denticles are nearly missing below the date. A dent above the foot and on Liberty’s neck are common markers shared on these counterfeits (highlighted in red). Below the subject coin is a reference photo to identify Type1 and Type2 reverses.

Next up we have an 1873-S! Same obverse as the counterfeit 1874-P but with a different reverse, this time paired with the correct Type.

In my search for more of these mix matched dates I landed on the “CoinHelpU” forum. This time we see a counterfeit 1874S. Same obverse but yet another reverse!

It’s apparent that the counterfeiters will use anything at their disposal to create more. Swapping out the dates and changing the reverses to anything they can find. It’s never been more important to attribute a coin that you intend to purchase.

Attributing coins requires learning–the type of which you get when reading Proxiblog and other reputable coin sites. Concerning Trade Dollars, examine devices, weigh the metal and measure the diameter, comparing it to an authentic example. I recommend going online to find a PCGS-attributed coin with TrueView, which can be expanded on your screen.

Pay attention to the coin’s condition and grade, using PCGS Photograde.

So ends the latest journey of more “Fun with Fakes” (FwF) and Proxiblog. It is getting really hard to keep up with all the ways scammers and their ilk continue to challenge the hobby.

For more information about counterfeit trade dollars, see Jack D. Young’s article about fake trade dollars in counterfeit TPG holders, as these coins illustrate:

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Fake Trade Dollars

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By Jack D. Young

The U.S. Mint manufactured trade dollars to promote silver mines in America and to compete with large silver coins used in trade in Asia. 

The diameter of these dollars is 38.1 mm (1.5 in) 90% silver, 10% copper weighing 27.2 grams with a reeded edge, produced between 1873-85.

They are so much in demand, especially in higher grades bringing hundreds and thousands of dollars, that China–which originally inspired the manufacturing of this coin–exports thousands of fakes to America.

The first image here is of one of the bad not-PCGS slabbed examples from my collection; both the coin and the slab are fakes. The second shows the common reverse I nicknamed the “dotted N.”

Counterfeit coin and fake “PCGS” slab; image courtesy author

The obverse had several marks I noted in white circles and was used early on but seemed to be abandoned for a different die going forward.

eBay listing example

Some of the obvious features are the “die chip” over the “N” of UNITED, the long “spaghetti hair,” a dent at the top of the “A” of TRADE, a common “CC” not attributable to a genuine example, and a couple others that may or may not show in all of the images.

And a simple attribution note about the reverse type for a particular date Trade dollar, I use this image as reference:

This common “dotted N” reverse is Type 1 and should NOT be seen on any coins dated 1877 and later.

In my regular eBay coin listing review I found the next example:

Reviewing the images I found this common reverse; I notified the seller, and he pulled the listing. After more discussion, he alerted me to this follow-up listing, which I “won”:

eBay listings of this 1875 “dotted N” reverse Trade Dollar

Having this example in hand afforded the opportunity to take some higher resolution images of the main counterfeit attribution points.

”Dotted N” image of author’s 1875-CC example
”Dented A” image of author’s 1875-CC example

Another of what I term “family counterfeits” is included here with images of other dates I have documented so far–including a bizarre “1791”!

As I often do during the research phase of an article, I post in several forums I frequent for other hobbyist’s opinions.

The following image was a response to my post in PCGS’ CU forum; The poster stated the image goes back to February 2023. It appears to be the same (common) reverse.

Image (used by permission) from the PCGS CU Forum OP

The next group of images are for other dates that would have genuine examples with the Type 1 reverse, but of course not this one!

And a date that should only have the type 2 reverse:

eBay listed 1877-CC “Dotted N” example

Interestingly, I do not have images of an 1878 dated example.

But the counterfeiters continue to create improbable examples like this “P” (no mint mark) 1877 with the otherwise common reverse:

eBay listed “Dotted N” non-CC mintmark example

Continuing with their improbable “numismatic creations” is this “1791” Trade with the “dotted N” reverse! The image isn’t great, but the dotted feature is plain enough.

eBay listed 1791 “Dotted N” counterfeit Trade Dollar

We have documented several different “families” of current counterfeits based on reuse of the same reverse die with different dated obverses. They continue to use these, often creating improbable die varieties that collectors experienced with the series can flush out.

But that takes experience and learning over time. Articles like this are intended to alert collectors about the current counterfeit threat of these coveted, historical coins.

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Proxiblog also has hundreds of followers on Facebook Coin Groups. To get the latest discussion and commentaries, click here.

You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.