1875 (S) Trade Dollar - S/CC

Coin Details

Auction Record

Description

This is the S/CC over mint mark on the 1875-S Trade Dollar, where a S was punched over an existing CC. Dies were prepared with a mint mark before they were sent out, and when demand shifted a die already marked for Carson City could be reassigned to San Francisco. Rather than scrap it, the receiving mint punched its own letter over the one already there. Traces of the CC survive wherever its shape falls outside the S that covers it, so the diagnostic is the geometry of the two letters rather than doubling as such. Unlike a repunched mint mark, which shows one letter struck twice, an over mint mark shows two different letterforms occupying the same place. Any mintage given below counts the entire issue for this date and mint, not this variety: a variety comes from one die or a few, and how many coins they struck was never separately recorded. The 1875 (S) Trade Dollar - S/CC, struck at the San Francisco Mint over the Carson City Mint Mark, is part of the Trade Dollars 1873-1885 collection. The 1875-S Trade Dollar issue as a whole had a mintage of 4.5 million; how many coins carry this variety is unknown. The obverse shows Liberty seated on bales of goods and facing left, an olive branch in her outstretched hand and a sheaf of wheat behind her, and the reverse shows an eagle holding three arrows and an olive branch above the inscription 420 GRAINS, 900 FINE. By 1875 the falling price of silver made it profitable to have bullion coined into trade dollars and spend them at face value in the United States. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 27.22 grams, 38.1 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Cataloged as PCGS #7040.

Cross References

FS-501