1875 S Trade Dollar Rev. 1 Obv.1

Chris

Were you able to cipher the two symbols stamped on the obv. ?
Not sure, but something does not look right with this coin.
Also that raised area on the rev. Could it possibly be a chinese
knockoff ? Hope not, but ?

The raised area on the reverse is caused by punching the counterstamp into the coin. It is usually a good sign to see hand punched characters and wear on the opposite side hump. I have seen many of the counterfeits that had the characters as part of the die. Those are pretty obvious to figure out when the coin is perfectly smooth and flat yet has counterstamps

I would concur with AU50, there is still a bit of luster hiding in the protected areas around the devices. Counterstamps add a little character to Trade dollars and this one is quite nice since the characters were punched in the fields and not on top of poor Lady Liberty.

Edit: chopmark, that is the word I was so sorely lacking earlier

First, I would like to Thank You All.




I haven't figured out the symbols. I was thinking of sending it back because of the chop marks. biokemist6 is right about the raised areas on the rev. they are directly opposite each other. I check the weight and it is good.

What was the purpose of the counter-stamp?

I answered my own ?

What Is a CHOPMARK?
Oriental chopmarks are counterstamps of Chinese businessmen, Chinese banks or Bullion Houses. Once a coin was chopped, the coin became a Chinese coin accepted as "coin of the realm". Merchants and bankers chopped each coin they handled. It became a type of endorsement guaranteeing its genuineness. It is much like an endorsement on the back of a check that we accept today. If the check is returned for whatever reason the individuals who endorsed the check can be held responsible for payment.

Most collectors have a coin or two with chopmarks and many refuse to buy coins that have been "mutilated" by chops. I was of the same mindset at one time but have long since changed my attitude toward these "pieces of history." I now have a very nice collection of Mexican 8 Reales and Pesos with some pretty fantastic chops, as well as an assortment of coins from other nations.

Years ago, some collectors paid a premium for chopmarked coins, considering them to be especially historical and valuable. Today, the general population of collectors do not understand chopmarks or their historical significance.

Interestingly, John M. Willem (b. 11/1/1909; d. 12/15/1979), who rightfully can be called the father of U.S. Trade dollar collecting, considered the chopmarked coin specialty to be the most challenging and worthwhile way to assemble a set of the series. Chopmarked specimens exist of all business strike dates and mintmarks 1873-1878. A complete set of these attracted attention at the 1985 ANA Convention. [source: tradedollarnut.com]

That's what I thought when I first saw it. $95, great deal :-)

Chopmarks? Did somebody say "Chopmarks"?

A PCGS XF45. Not mine though. Darnit!

(I don't like this one as much as the ones that are spread around the obverse and you can see each one clearly.)






BTW, this one just went for $169 moments ago.

Steve

I have been searching for ref. to the chop marks. But, I'm not having any luck. Where would I look?