Editing Trade dollar (section)

==History==
[[File:China-7sen2hun-1904.jpg|240px|thumb|Chinese dragon dollar of 1904]]
[[File:1 dragon dollar Qing dynasty - 1911.png|thumb|240px|[[Silver coin]]: 1 yuan/dollar [[Puyi|Xuantong 3rd year]] - 1911 [[Chop marks on coins|Chopmark]]]]
The existence of trade dollars came about because of the popularity of the silver [[Spanish dollar#Asia|Spanish dollar]] in the [[Far East]], such as in [[Ming dynasty|China]], [[East Asia]], and the [[East Indies]]. Following the establishment of [[Captaincy General of the Philippines|Spanish Philippines]], [[Manila]] (in the modern area of [[Intramuros]]) became an [[entrepôt]] for Chinese goods in one direction and [[Spanish dollar|Spanish silver dollar]], from across the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] to the Spanish-held mints and silver mines of [[New Spain|Mexico]], [[Peru]], and [[Bolivia]], in the other. The [[Manila galleon|Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade]], led from the 16th Century onwards to the wide circulation of "pieces of eight" as a standard of trade in the [[Far East]].

The high regard in which these coins came to be held, led to the minting of the silver [[Chinese yuan]], a coin designed to resemble the Spanish one. These Chinese "[[Silver Dragon (coin)|dragon dollars]]" not only circulated in China, but together with original coins of Spanish-Mexican origin became the preferred currency of trade between China and its neighbours. Defeated in the [[First Opium War]], China was forced to open its ports to foreign trade, and in the late half of the 19th Century Western nations trading with China found it cheaper and more expedient to mint their own coins, from their own supplies of silver, than to continue to use coins from Mexican sources. These so-called trade dollars would approximate in specification, weight 7 [[Mace (unit)|mace]] and 2 [[candareen]]s (approx. 27.2 grams; {{frac|7|8}} troy ounce) and [[fineness]] .900 (90%), the Spanish-Mexican coins so long trusted and valued in China.

[[File:1 piastre Indochine 1887.png|240px|thumb|French Indochina Piastre 1887]]

===France===
{{main|French Indochinese piastre}}
To control the money supply in [[French Indochina]] in 1885, the French introduced a new silver '''Piastre de commerce''' and associated subsidiary coinage throughout the entire [[French Indo-China|Indo-Chinese]] colonies in order to increase monetary stability. The piastre was initially equivalent to the [[Mexican peso]]. The piastre was therefore a direct lineal descendant of the Spanish [[pieces of eight]] that had been brought to the Orient from Mexico on the Manila Galleons. It was initially on a silver standard of 1 piastre = 24.4935&nbsp;grams pure silver. This was reduced to 24.3&nbsp;grams in 1895.

===Japan===
{{see also|Countermarked yen ("Gin")}}

[[Image:1yen-M8silver.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Japanese Trade Dollar dated 1875]]
The [[Japan]]ese Trade Dollar was a dollar coin, issued from 1875 to 1877. It was minted of 27.22&nbsp;g of silver with a [[fineness]] of .900 (90%). The [[Yen]] coin had 26.96&nbsp;g of silver at that time, and otherwise nearly identical in design to the trade dollar.<ref name="japanese-trade-dollar">{{citation |url=http://www.charm.ru/coins/misc/japanesetradedollar.shtml |title=Japanese Silver Trade Dollar}}</ref>

2,736,000 coins of this type were minted, the vast majority in 1876-77.<ref>Krause, Chester L. and Mishler, Clifford: ''1996 Standard Catalog of World Coins'' (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, {{ISBN|0-87341-357-1}}), p. 1374.</ref> When Japan introduced the [[gold standard]] in 1897, the silver 1&nbsp;yen coins, including the trade dollars, were demonetized. The majority of the trade dollars were counterstamped with the character "gin" (Japanese for "silver"). The Osaka mint placed the mark on the left side of the reverse, the Tokyo mint on the right. The coins were then released for use in Japanese-occupied Taiwan, Korea and [[Lüshunkou]].<ref>Krause, Chester L. and Mishler, Clifford: ''1996 Standard Catalog of World Coins'' (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, {{ISBN|0-87341-357-1}}), p. 1370.</ref>

===United Kingdom===
[[File:1 British trade dollar 1901B.png|thumb|right|240px|A Trade Dollar from the reign of Victoria. It is dated 1901 and minted at the Bombay mint.]]
[[File:1 dollar Eo Biển Edward VII 1903.png|thumb|240px| Silver coin: 1 Strait dollar, [[Edward VII]], 1903]]
{{see also|Hong Kong dollar}}
With the extension of British trading interests in the East, especially after the founding of [[Singapore]] in 1819 and [[Hong Kong]] in 1842, it became necessary to produce a special dollar so as to remove the reliance of a British Colony upon the various foreign coins then in circulation.

"China trade silver dollars" were a direct result of the First (1839{{ndash}}1842) and [[Second Opium War]] (1856{{ndash}}1860), which broke out when Chinese authorities tried to stop Britain from smuggling opium into the country. The loser, China, had to open up [[treaty ports|a number of ports]] to British trade and residence, and [[Hong Kong#British colonial era|cede Hong Kong to Britain]]. In the decades that followed, merchants and adventurers flocked to these areas, and international trade flourished. Foreign banks were established and large silver coins from all over the world began arriving to pay for tea, silk and Chinese porcelain to be shipped abroad. These .900 fine silver trade dollars were then circulated throughout China, where they were readily accepted as a medium of exchange. The British trade dollar, minted exclusively for use in the Far East, depicts Britannia standing on the shore, holding a trident in one hand and balancing a British shield in the other, with a merchant ship under full sail in the background. On the reverse is an arabesque design with the Chinese symbol for longevity in the center, and the denomination in two languages – Chinese and Jawi Malay.

The British trade dollar was designed by [[George William De Saulles]] and minted from 1895 for Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements. But after the [[Straits dollar]] was introduced to the Straits Settlements in 1903, it became exclusively a Hong Kong coin produced until 1935.  Those with the mint mark "B" were produced at the Bombay Mint; others, marked "C", were struck in [[Calcutta]]. Those with no mint mark were produced in London. The mint mark "C" can be found in the ground between the left foot of Britannia and the base of the shield, while the mint mark "B" is located in the center prong of the trident. The 1921-B dollar was struck but never released for circulation, and only a limited number of 1934-B and 1935-B coins were released.

In some cases, the date on an already manufactured coin die was altered. As this could not be done without leaving a trace of the former date, some coins show traces of an older date below the clearly visible date. These include 1897-B over 1896-B, 1900-B over 1894-B, 1901-B over 1900-B, 1909-B over 1908-B, 1904-B over 1898-B, 1903-B over 1902-B, 1908-B over 1903-B, 1904-B over 1903-B, 1929-B over 1901-B, 1908-B over 1907-B, and 1910-B over 1900-B.

The British trade dollar was demonetized on 1{{nbsp}}August 1937.<ref>{{citation |url=http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces8472.html |title=Trade Coinage}}</ref>

===United States===
{{Main|Trade dollar (United States coin)}}
[[File:1 dollar USA - 1877S (1).png|thumb|240px|right|1877 United States Trade Dollar pattern.]]

The [[United States]] trade dollar is a [[silver]] ([[fineness]] of .900 or 90%) [[dollar]] [[coin]] that was issued by the [[United States Mint]] and minted in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], Carson City, and San Francisco from 1873 to 1885. [[Business strike]] trade dollars were last produced in 1878 and [[Proof coinage|proof coin]] production continued until 1885.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.silvercoins.com/history-of-silver-as-money/ |title=Silver as Money: A History of US Silver Coins|date=22 August 2014}}</ref>  The coin weighs 420&nbsp;[[grain (measure)|grain]]s (27.2&nbsp;g), about 8&nbsp;grains (0.52&nbsp;g) more than the domestic silver dollar ([[Seated Liberty Dollar]]s and [[Morgan Dollar]]s) of the time. It is 4&nbsp;grains heavier than the [[Mexican peso]]; however, the peso is .903 silver.<ref name="julian"/>

The coin was designed by [[William Barber (engraver)|William Barber]], the mint's chief engraver. More trade dollars were minted in San Francisco than Carson City and Philadelphia combined. San Francisco was closest both to the source of the silver as well as the ultimate destination of the coins, China. Many Trade dollars have what are called "chopmarks" on them. Chinese merchants would stamp the coins in order to verify their correct weight and value.<ref name="julian">{{citation |url=http://www.collectorusa.com/articles/tradedollar.php |title=The Rise and Fall of the Trade Dollar |first=R. W. |last=Julian |year=2003 |publisher=Collector USA |access-date=January 2, 2005 |archive-date=December 12, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041212093700/http://www.collectorusa.com/articles/tradedollar.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[United States Congress]] authorized the U.S. Mint to create a trade dollar to improve trade with the [[Orient]], China in particular.  Prior to that, the Mexican peso had been the primary silver coin used in trading with [[China]]. In fact, the eagle on the trade dollar's reverse looks quite similar to the peso's.