Silver Dollar Coins
Interested in silver dollar coins? Find out about the most popular silver dollar coins issued throughout US history…
The United States has minted dollar coins in many different materials including gold, silver and base metal. The first batch of coins minted in the United States was of silver dollar coins. The minting took place in 1794.
Silver dollar actually became the term which was used to refer to any large white metal coin that was issued by the US government. It had to have a face value of one whole dollar. The purists however argue that for a dollar coin to be categorized as a silver dollar coin it must have some amount of the metal.
The 1804 Dollar
This is both the most popular yet the rarest of all silver dollar coins to be found in the US. The coin was actually a result of a bookkeeping error but over the years it has established quite a reputation. The 1804 silver dollar coin is now the undisputed king of all silver dollar coins from the US. This coin was actually struck in 1804 but bears the date of 1803. It is ironic to know that none of the dollars that the year the dollars were minted is actually different from the year that has been stamped on the coins. The 1804 silver dollar coin was reproduced in 1834 when the government decided it would use these coins in a set to be given as a gift to Asian rulers. Today there are only fifteen silver dollar coins in the world that bare the date of 1804 which makes them incredibly special. In fact about a decade ago one of these coins was sold at an auction for almost four million dollars.
Seated Liberty dollar
This is another special set of coins that was introduced in the year 1840. It was minted in relatively large quantities during the initial years but the minting steadily declined with the introduction of newer coins. The dollar came into circulation during a brief period of its life until the value of silver actually became worth more than the face value of the coin. From that time onwards it became a trade coin which was used in the Orient. By the 70s the coin came back into circulation as the price of silver declined.
Trade Dollar
This unique silver dollar coin was actually produced in response to the trade coins of other Western powers. Foremost amongst the competitors were Great Britain, France, Mexico and Spain. The Trade Dollar was far more valuable than the average dollar coin. This is because it was made using a higher silver content. This was purposely done in order to bring it at par with the global standard.
The vast majority of trade dollars made their way into Asia during the initial years of their minting. They were highly successful in meeting their objectives. These dollar coins were never circulated inside the United States. However they did have a face value of $5 in the market.
