Silver trade dollar coins were minted by the United States from 1873 until 1885, designed by Charles Barber and intended for use in Asia, where American silver dollar coins were valuable and popular. The obverse design, vaguely related to the seated Liberty dollar that the trade dollar replaced, showed Liberty seated and holding an olive peace branch over an expanse of ocean.
Trade dollars were controversial at the time, as they were often worth less than $1 in actual transactions; in 1878 their use overlapped with the first years of the Morgan dollar, which proved more durable. However, modern collectors now often hunt for trade dollars, especially special variations, years, conditions, or grades, and for-sale listings often come and go.
