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1875s With Chops

@stealer @Mbogman @tennesseedave threads have inspired me to add a Trade after some time off from the series. Helps with the Covid quarantine lulls. Raw off E-bay as is the only way to go with the series. Sellers Pics
Once again, cool coins can be cheap
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Really nice piece, I really like the chop in the right obverse field!
What is more TD$ than a chopped S/CC?
I agree that the chops are cool and above average in terms of clarity, styles, contrast and minimal reciprocal damage



11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Neat! I really like the overlapping triangles behind Liberty's arm. and an S/CC to boot!
Welcome back into the fold!
Very pleasant surprise. Nice get. Peace Roy
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Congrats on getting that one John. I had it on my watch list, but forgot to bid on it. Anyways, I'm glad you got it. Looks nice from the pics.
Don’t worry stealer didn’t forget to bid
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Does it say anything about "social distancing?"
That's nice!
I'm normally not much of a Trade dollar kinda guy, but that one is very cool!
Great example of a chopmarked trade dollar, with ties to both SF and Carson City. Well done.
I like it.
The reverse does say, calendar and peace
m
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Great pick-up, love the chops, very cool. I saw that one, thought about putting down a bid but decided to let it pass. I am glad you got it.
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
@Crypto .... Nice Trade Dollar with some cool chops...I am not seeing the S/CC...Is it the lighting or me? Cheers, RickO
The S/CC is funny, the EDS like this one are often not as vivid as the LDS with all the die cracks either by die pressure or maybe status of the repair. But it is there. Also cherry picking hot tip: the S for the S/CC is in a unique position. Notice how the S is not over the D in dollar? The right edge lines up the left edge of the D but the don’t overlap? That will always be the S/CC, the C is over the D
t
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
@Crypto.... Thanks, I see it in that picture...The one I have is very prominent, but there are different dies...Cheers, RickO
Die states, the process of over mintmarking is like filling a cavity. As the die was used the C pops more and more. The LDS with die cracks often pops more but I swear some of that is pressure same that caused the cracks.
The S/CC die two (FS502) everything is different form mintmark location to pick up point to die cracks
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Nor did I. My snipe was about $40 behind you. Nice pick up!...
mbogoman
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/classic-issues-colonials-through-1964/zambezi-collection-trade-dollars/7345Asesabi Lutho
My max was north of 500. I would have paid 85% of PCGS x40chop
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Here's another photo of the over MM so folks can see how it lines up.

That is one of the more eye appealing and bold examples of the arguably the most famous and clear cut of US Over Mint-Marks. Great example @Kaz Aka Doc hope all is well buddy
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
@kaz that’s one of the bolder examples I’ve seen, where the 2nd C behind the S is clear. Very nice.
Surprised you still buy raw coins off eBay considering how many times you have been burned. I understand your concern
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Thanks, it came from a discerning TD$ collector!
Doing ok so far, office is open.
To be clear, I did not see the S/CC when I looked at it. What I saw were the very cool chopmarks. I thought about bidding on it just for that reason and then let it pass.
Very good pick-up, Crypto, congrats again!
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
You’re like a guy who insists on going to a party no one invited you too and then gets salty when no one offers you a drink. It invokes pitty if nothing else.
Its ok Alan, you can come in and sit while we talk TD, just please be quite and sit by the chip bowl.
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Just like old times.
Was on my way to post this too..😅
Excuse my ignorance but what’s the allure of a damaged coin? I see all the time frowning here about whizzing, harsh cleaning etc? I’m not being sarcastic I just want to know the appeal of paying $500 for a coin like this. Thanks in advance.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
Wasn’t there another thread about trolls showing up on the long weekend?
The purpose of these trade dollars was for export to China. Some, but not all were used for this purpose. You call them damage, but these marks confirm that this coin took a boat ride to China and then was assessed and deemed good by a banker or merchant. This added history is desirable to (some) collectors.
Just like old times, I see why you got kicked off the forum. Surprised you were let back in.
All circulation is damage. It is up to the collector how much it affects what they will pay. I will concede circulation always negatively impacts the price.
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Thanks Dan, Always learning something new.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
To be fair, Ive had several conversations with Alan where he did claim to me that he doesn't want an S/CC.
Minor Variety Trade dollar's with chop marks set:
More Than It's Chopped Up To Be
As for this coin, I saw it and nearly sprung to purchase. However, I'm still mid-move to a new house, and I have higher grade examples in 501 and 502. So, I didnt really see the point.
BUT
I love that relief chop on the obverse. It pulls strongly on my heart strings.
@Crypto - Welcome back to trade dollar ownership. But im keeping your old coins
Minor Variety Trade dollar's with chop marks set:
More Than It's Chopped Up To Be
I have had midrage UNC examples of Chopped and Un-chopped. I agree this is but a cool widget.
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Regarding chopmarked coins in general, I wonder how others see this area evolving. From what I'm seeing, interest is growing, fueled through exposure and education. The Chopmark Collectors Club is a great resource and a very approachable club with a quality newsletter. The recent-ish book on the topic by Gullberg titled "Chopmarked Coins - A History" is another example. I'm also finding that social media venues like Instagram are bringing like-minded collectors together and introducing new collectors to this area of the hobby.
With the increased interest I'm also finding it harder to find nice chopmarked pieces sitting out there on eBay, dealer sites, or at shows (back when those were a thing). This is all entirely welcome, because I'm not one of those collectors that needs to hog all the nice stuff. Glad to see others finding neat undiscovered chopmarked pieces out there, but also makes me wonder in what timeframe they will essentially dry up. Is it 5 years from now, 10 years from now, or 50? As of today, you can still travel to China/Hong Kong/Taiwan and pick up neat material, but I feel this availability is winding down quickly.
I think you're right about the growing interest and the decreasing supply; I think we're going to see a much greater quantity of forgeries in the market as the supply goes down, which will be difficult to combat given that the hosts may be genuine, and chops do not have the consistency or PUPs of countermarks. These are a few of the reasons I hope that collectors today document their collections as thoroughly as possible (publishing a reference would be optimal) so that future collectors have a greater pool of substantiated examples for comparison.
@OriginalDan , you might already be considered an old veteran in this space. Buying chopmarked coins raw out of HK/China may someday be seen as the equivalent of late 19th century collectors paying 10% over face for old pioneer gold.
Agree completely with OriginalDan. It does seem that the popularity of collecting chopmarked coins is rising, due to a number of reasons including the Chopmark Collectors Club and Colin Gullberg's book. I think PCGS's decision to slab them also helped. Prices have risen steadily for chopmarked Trade Dollars, although there is still a great variance. At the same time, it is getting harder and harder to find new and interesting examples.
I find it to be a really fascinating part of numismatics. For many coins, you hold them in your hand and wonder where all they have been. But if you hold a chopmarked Carson City Trade Dollar in your hand, for example, you know for a fact that it was minted in the Old West from silver mined in Nevada, traveled by wagon and then by train to California, was loaded on a ship that sailed across the Pacific and was used to purchase goods in China to be shipped back to the United States. The coin bounced around in commerce in Asia for a while, before eventually returning to the United States, somehow avoiding the melting pot. What a great story.
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
There's definitely more interest in Chopmarked Trade $'s than 10/15 years ago. I remember buying some great raw coins off eBay for cheap that I had graded at PCGS. example: 1873-P MS-62 CM for $235, 74-CC AU-55 CM $90.
Now I can rarely win one.
like, my hoard, your hoard, taylors hoard, davids hoard --- thats 4!
Minor Variety Trade dollar's with chop marks set:
More Than It's Chopped Up To Be
I agree with the RO except for the (more than most series). The only series that aren’t hoarded are the series where the price precludes it. Even then some “collections” are bigger than others and the organization of them varies too. Our hobby is that of “controlled” hoarding and if coin guys only bought one of each there wouldn’t be so many dealers.
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set