ABSTRACT
The Coinage Act of 1873 ended the minting of regular silver dollars in the United States and led to the de-monetization of silver the following year. It also created a new silver coin, the trade dollar, to replace the discontinued silver dollar. The trade dollar was a larger coin, containing more silver than the regular silver dollar, and was never intended for circulation in the United States. Produced solely for export, the American trade dollar was to be a commercial or trade coin that would circulate abroad, primarily in China.
