1876-S Trade Dollar

Actually, the TD is bowl-shaped from all the chop marks. Will try to get some better pictures this weekend.

I was actually thinking just the opposite. I didn't pay that much for it when I bought it, so I wouldn't be disappointed if it turned out to be counterfeit. I didn't weigh it... not sure if the weight would be correct after all that pounding It IS an interesting piece no matter what.

I'll do the magnet test & weigh it when I get home. I was able to find the meaning of many of the chops on the coin, but there were many I was not able to find. Since any numismatic value for a coin this chopped would pretty much be negated by all the damage, I wonder why someone would go through the trouble of chopping it that much to hide something? The chops LOOK very old, even under magnification. Also, I'm not sure if any one person would have that many different punches laying around to do that...

I am not saying I know it is counterfeit (there is just not enough of the design showing for me to be able to tell) I am just saying when you see that many chop marks on a coin you have to start questioning what they were trying to hide underneath. As far as the chop marks goes if you can do some research and find most of them like you say you have done and they do check out then chances are it is real because if they are using fake chop marks to fool the uneducated chances are all of most of them will be fake. I just have never seen a couple of them on that coin before and that is why I commented like I did