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Where did PCGS get there false info on the Chopped Trade Dollar?

Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,874 ✭✭✭
in PCGS Set Registry Forum
<<<Many Chinese/Eastern merchants would take a tiny chunk of profit from each trade by "chopping" out a piece of silver from the Trade dollar.>>>
This is completly false & misleading! Nothing was chopped out or removed from the coin. The chop is actually a character that is struck into the coin with a punch.
This needs to be corrected asap!
Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.

Comments

  • LucyBopLucyBop Posts: 14,001 ✭✭✭
    Oh yeah!?
    imageBe Bop A Lula!!
    "Senorita HepKitty"
    "I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
  • Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,874 ✭✭✭
    If I didn't make myself clear that's the introduction to the chopped Trade Dollar catagory in the PCGS Set Registry.
    Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
  • LucyBopLucyBop Posts: 14,001 ✭✭✭
    Oh Yeah!?
    imageBe Bop A Lula!!
    "Senorita HepKitty"
    "I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
  • LucyBopLucyBop Posts: 14,001 ✭✭✭
    No dog scares the HepKitty!

    image
    imageBe Bop A Lula!!
    "Senorita HepKitty"
    "I want a real cool Kitty from Hepcat City, to stay in step with me" - Bill Carter
  • tgilliamstgilliams Posts: 1,969
    thanks for the explanation. do you have a pic of a chopmarked trade you could post?
    PCGS sets under The Thomas Collections. Modern Commemoratives @ NGC under "One Coin at a Time". USMC Active 1966 thru 1970" The real War.
  • shirohniichanshirohniichan Posts: 4,992 ✭✭✭
    Chopmarks are indentations stamped onto coins of proper weight and silver content, usually with a Chinese character or symbol that identifies the merchant or banker who verified the coin. The exceptions to this are ink chops and paper chops. Ink chops are stamped images or slogans, and most are thought to be messages not meant to certify the host coin's good character. Paper chops are usually ink stamps on coins given as good luck presents at weddings (the "double happiness" character).

    Other marks on coins, such as cuts or small drill marks, are properly called "test marks." These are usually made to see if the coin in question has been plated with silver, hollowed, or filled with base metal.
    image
    Obscurum per obscurius
  • shirohniichanshirohniichan Posts: 4,992 ✭✭✭
    Well, Dog, apparently not too many people care for chopmarked coins. image
    image
    Obscurum per obscurius
  • Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,874 ✭✭✭
    Yep. Figured TDN would be all over this.
    He probably doesn't want to stir up the Trade Dollar thing with PCGS. image
    Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
  • tradedollarnuttradedollarnut Posts: 20,162 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Actually, I just don't care very much. Merchants occasionally did take a bit of silver, but I think it was for test purposes rather than profit. In the grand scheme of things numismatic, a small error on PCGS's part in the trade dollar writeup is not the end of the world!
    Early Dollar Set
  • cosmicdebriscosmicdebris Posts: 12,332 ✭✭✭
    Did someone say chopped trade dollars?

    image
    image
    Bill

    image

    09/07/2006
  • Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,874 ✭✭✭
    I hardly consider this a "small error" on PCGS's part because it states that silver was removed which would make the coin not legal weight for legal tender and subject to condemnation & melting. The ameteur introduction sounds like some kind of urban legend a State Quarter collector might offer on the ICG or PCI board and could not be further from the truth.

    Chopmarks actually verified that no silver had been removed and the coin was within proper weight & fineness. The process of applying a chopmark removed nothing and a coin was not called chopmarked because anything had been "chopped" out of it.

    Choppa is an Indian word defined as official stamp.
    It became mandatory that Chinese bankers verify all import coins by putting their official stamp on them after a rash of Carlos coins from the East India Company were counterfeited by local Chinese using debased silver content sometime in the early 1780s.

    Such a sloppy terms & definations SHOULD BE unacceptable to the numismatic community, especially when coming from a front running panel of experts on the PCGS staff.
    Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
  • shirohniichanshirohniichan Posts: 4,992 ✭✭✭
    I say "Harumph" with Dog97.
    image
    Obscurum per obscurius
  • EVillageProwlerEVillageProwler Posts: 5,856 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Perhaps someone can politely inform BJ or DH of this error. I'm sure that it was unintentional, and that they'd be happy to fix it.

    Dog, perhaps you can tell them yourself. While you're at it, offer to write a fixed up intro as a nice gesture...

    EVP

    How does one get a hater to stop hating?

    I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com

  • Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,874 ✭✭✭
    Hey I can do that! Give me a PM or email address to somebody in charge.
    From the responses posted here it seems like it may be of little importance to anybody but myself. image
    Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
  • cosmicdebriscosmicdebris Posts: 12,332 ✭✭✭
    Dog PM DH he is online right now.
    Bill

    image

    09/07/2006
  • Dog97Dog97 Posts: 7,874 ✭✭✭
    Done Deal! image
    Change that we can believe in is that change which is 90% silver.
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