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Are there any contemporary counterfeit Trade Dollars?
MrEureka
Posts: 23,949 ✭✭✭✭✭
Obviously, we've all seen tons of the modern fakes. But were any made (in the US or elsewhere) in the 19th Century to pass as money?
Andy Lustig
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
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That's a good question.
It would seem so, why else chopmark them?
I don't see why not. All other big coins around the world were counterfeited.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars
Chopmarks were used for silver coins from all countries. The question would be was it worthwhile to do for US Trade Dollars specifically.
My guess is that domestic contemporary counterfeiters would have been discouraged in the US because (a) trade dollars were not used in the US, (b) there would be easier coins to counterfeit in the US and (c) chopmarks in Asia would have reduced the ROI on counterfeiting.
As for, contemporary counterfeits in Asia, I'm not sure. It would depend on how attractive it would be to counterfeit US coins vs. coins from other countries.
Trade dollars, US, British, Japanese, etc., were not really money in China or SE Asian markets. They were units of silver and thus carefully examined by private banks and merchants before acceptance.
Contemporary counterfeiting certainly occurred, but likely was focused on silver taels.
FWIW, I would want to see some contemporary counterfeits before believing that they were produced.
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
I'd think there was more money to be made ....honestly.... (?) by swapping Morgans for Trades and melting for bullion, having it coined, then doing it over and over again.
Originally, purchasers of Trade dollars were required to certify that the coin were for export only. Eventually, the Mint discovered that some purchasers were circulating excess coins domestically, or simply lying on the certificates. The Mints were also selective about buying silver both for price and source.
Dave Wnuck knows a great deal about contemporary counterfeits. Contact him.
Hi. I'm a Nevada silver miner and ...darnedest thing.... all the silver in the mine is shredded metal.
darn it all anyway.
so I'd like some more....I mean SOME....trade dollars please.
I have two examples in my collection. Excuse the shitty cell photos I just took.
1877-S lead with silver gilt
1876-S Not entirely sold that this is a contemporary counterfeit.
I have a counterfeit that looks XF range but also rings like struck silver - how can you tell when it was made or what exactly is the definition of 'contemporary'?
IMO, anything made of lead MAY have been around near the turn of the century (contemporary) but they would not pass detection so these don't qualify. While Mexican Cap & Rays, Portrait, Pillar 8 Rls, and British Trade dollars exist as contemporary counterfeits, I should think (in my limited experience) Trade $ fakes made in that period are rare or unknown. There is also written evidence from turn of the century newspapers that fake Micro-O Morgan's were in circulation near the turn of the century and are thus contemporary!