~July 2008~
~JUNE 2008~ [none]
~May 2008~
Trade Dollar (1873- 1885)
This coin was issued for circulation in the Orient to compete with dollar-size coins of other countries. It weighed 420 grains compared to 412 1/2 grains, the weight of the regular silver dollar.
Many of the pieces which circulated in the Orient were counterstamped with Oriental characters, known as "chop marks". These are generally valued lower than normal pieces.
When first coined they were legal tender in the United States to the extent of $5.00, but with the decline in price of silver bullion Congress repealed the legal tender provision in 1876 and authorized the Treasury to redeem, for six months, all Trade Dollars which were not mutilated.
The Trade dollars of 1884 and 1885 were unknown to collectors generally until 1908. None is listed in the Director's Report and numismatists believe that they are not a part of the regular mint issue. After 1878, strikings were specimen proofs only.
The law authorizing Trade dollars was repealed in February, 1887.
~April 2008~ [none]
~March 2008~
Coins of the United States Dollar
United States coinage was first minted by the new republic in 1792. New coins have been produced every year since then they make up a valuable aspect of the United States currency system. Today circulating coins exist in denominations: $0.01, $0.05, $0.10, $0.25, $0.50, and $1.00. All of these are produced by the United States Mint. The coins are then sold to Federal Reserve Banks which in turn are responsible for putting coins into circulation and withdrawing them as demended by the country's economy.
Today four mints operate in the United States producing billions of coins each year. The main mint is the Philadelphia Mint, which produces circulating coinage, mint sets and some commemoratives. The Denver Mint also produces circulating coinage, mint sets and commemoratives. The San Francisco Mint produces regular and silver proof coinage. The West Point Mint produces bullion coinage (including proofs). Philadelphia and Denver produce the dies used at all of the mints. The proof mint sets are manufactured each year and contain examples of all of the year's circulating coins. These and the other non-circulating coins can be purchased directly from the US Mint.
