China Trade Dollar 1914-1921 袁头币

钱面：袁仕凯光头侧面像，上环“中华民国三年造”。

钱背：中间汉字“壹元” 周围环嘉禾纹饰。

Technical Specifications

Denomination: 壹圆 1 dollar

Issued by :中華民國 Rebublic of China

Issued Year : 民国三年至十年  1914-1921

Diameter : 39 mm

Weight : 26.4 grams

Coin Shape : Round

Composition : .890 Silver
Engraver : Luigi Giorgi

1911年，辛亥革命成功，清朝覆之。1912年1月，中华民国临时政府在南京成立，孙中山先生就任临时大总统。民国政府将原江南造币厂改为财政部管理，开始铸行 有孙中山先生侧面肖像，面值分为壹圆、贰角、壹角之“中华民国开国纪念币”。民国初年， 中国市场银元流通状况更趋混乱，海外各国银币和清朝龙洋并行，种类繁多，成色不一，市价时高时低，民众经济活动涤受其害。

1914年（民国三年）2月，民国政府着手改革币制，公布“国币条例”及其“实施细侧”。以求整顿并统一银币铸行。规定以壹元银圆为本位币，重七钱二分，成色银九铜一（后改为89%），分壹圆、半圆、贰角、壹角四等币值。十二月，财政部天津造币总厂首铸新版银币，其正面袁世凯侧面头像及发行年号，背面 嘉禾纹饰与币值，俗称“袁头币”。

后南京、广东 、武昌 、甘肃造币分厂陆续开铸，币值有一元 、半元 、二角 、一角等面值。有签字 、无签字版，边齿为185 、170道直线。

纪年有三年 、八年 、九年 、十年四种，细微差异颇多，成色参差不齐。“年”字后没有“造”字，其他年版都在“年”字后面有“造”字。三年版“民”字中有一“点”，而其他年版民字无“点”。

United States Trade Dollar 1873-1885

Descriptions

Obverse : Liberty seated on a pedestal facing the sea to the left holding olive branches surrounded by 13 stars.

Lettering: IN GOD WE TRUST │ LIBERTY

Reverse : An eagle holding branches with berries on them and arrows.

Lettering: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA │E PLURIBUS UNUM │420 GRAINS  .900 FINE │TRADE DOLLAR

Technical Specifications

Denomination: 1 dollar

Issued by : Unites States of America

Year : 1873-1885

Diameter : 38.1 mm

Weight : 27.22 grams

Coin Shape : Round

Composition : .900 Silver

Coin Edge : Reeded

Engraver : William Barber

      x                                                          x                                                               x

The United States trade dollar was a dollar coin minted by the United States Mint to compete with other large silver trade coins that were already popular in East Asia. The idea first came about in the 1860s, when the price of silver began to decline due to increased mining efforts in the western United States. A bill providing in part for the issuance of the trade dollar was eventually put before Congress, where it was approved and later signed into law as the Coinage Act of 1873. The act made trade dollars legal tender up to five dollars. A number of designs were considered for the trade dollar, and an obverse and reverse created by William Barber were selected.

The coins were first struck in 1873, and most of the production was sent to China. Eventually, bullion producers began converting large amounts of silver into trade dollars, causing the coins to make their way into American commercial channels. This caused frustration among those to whom they were given in payment, as the coins were largely maligned and traded for less than one dollar each. In response to their wide distribution in American commerce, the coins were officially demonetized in 1876, but continued to circulate. Production of business strikes ended in 1878, though the mintage of proof coins officially continued until 1883. The trade dollar was re-monetized when the Coinage Act of 1965 was signed into law.

     x                                                          x                                                               x

Year	Mintage
1873	√
1784	√
1875	√
1876	√
1877	√
1878	√
1879	proof, rare
1880	proof, rare
1881	proof, rare
1882	proof, rare
1883	proof, rare
1884	proof, rare
1885	proof, rare

British Trade Dollar 1895-1935

Descriptions

Obverse : Britannia standing helmeted looking to left with her right hand grasps a trident and her left hand resting on an oval sheild bearing the united cross of St. George of England, St. Andrew of Scotland and St. Patrick of Ireland surrounded by a Chinese scroll-pattern border. A sailing ship is in the distance with the denomination "ONE DOLLAR" above and year date below.

Reverse : in the centre between the denominations was a Chinese labyrinth, one of the many variations of the Chinese character "壽" for longevity encircled by 4 compartments containing Chinese characters for ‘One Dollar’ "壹 圓" and Malay Jawi characters  "ساتو  ريڠڬيت"; all encircled by a Chinese scroll border.

Technical Specifications

Denomination: 1 dollar

Issued by : Straits Settlements

Year : 1895 - 1935

Diameter : 39 mm

Thickness : 1.9 mm

Weight : 26.9568 grams

Coin Shape : Round

Composition : .900 Silver

Coin Edge : Milled

Engraver : George William de Saulles

History

When China lost the opium war also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars in 1839-1843 and 1856-1860, they're force to open up a number of ports to British trade and residence, and Cede Hong Kong to Britain. At the same time, Straits Settlements were established to link the now-defunct British East India Company's outposts of Penang, Malacca and Singapore. By the middle of the nineteenth century, international trade in Hong Kong and Straits Settlements start to flourished with merchants and adventurers flocked that areas.

Large Foreign silver trade dollar were used for payment before the introduction of an acceptable British Trade coins in Hong Kong and Straits Settlements. Mexican silver dollar-8 reales, United States trade dollar, the Japanese trade dollar and the French "Piastre de Commerce" are some of the common trade dollars used. These .900 fine silver trade dollars were then circulated throughout the East where they were readily accepted as a medium of exchange.

It became necessary to produce special dollar for trading in the British Colony. When price of silver rise rapidly in 1875 to 1895, it disturb trading and resulted a very serious shortage of minted dollars. To overcome the shortage, approval was given in 1894 by a Royal Prerogative of the English sovereign for the minting of a special British Dollar for general use in Far Eastern Trade.

To make sure the new trade dollar can be accepted by countries outside British dominion, learning from the Portcullis Money mistake, the coin had been given an Eastern look. The only British character of the coin is Britannia ( posed by Lady Susan Hiks-Beach for engraver G.W. De Saulles ) standing helmeted looking to left with her right hand grasps a trident and her left hand resting on an oval sheild bearing the united cross of St. George of England, St. Andrew of Scotland and St. Patrick of Ireland surrounded by a Chinese scroll-pattern border on the obverse. A sailing ship is in the distance with the denomination "ONE DOLLAR" above and year date below.

On the reverse, in the centre between the denominations was a Chinese labyrinth, encircled by 4 compartments containing Chinese characters for "Yi Yuan" and Malay Jawi characters for for ‘One Dollar’ "壹 圓" and Malay Jawi characters  "ساتو  ريڠڬيت"; all encircled by a Chinese scroll border.

The British Trade dollar was declared legal tender on 2 February 1895 by an Order of Council in the Straits Settlements, Hong Kong and Labuan (off the north-west coast of British North Borneo).

Three mints participated in the minting of the coins:

·Bombay Mint with the mint mark "B", located in the center prong of the trident.

·Calcutta Mint with the mint mark "C", can be found in the ground between the left foot of Britannia and the base of the shield.

·Royal Mint, London, Those with no mint mark.

The coin had a diameter of 39 mm and was struck in 26.95 grams (416 grains) of 0.900 fine silver. The dies were prepared by London Royal Mint engraver G W De Saulles.

The 1934B and 1935B dollars were struck and shipped to Hong Kong. They were deposited in the vaults of a Hong Kong Bank as security against the dollar banknotes introduced in Hong Kong in 1935. Only few pieces of 1934B and 1935B dollars were released. The reminder of the 1934B and 1935B dollars were returned to the Mint for melting before World War II. The 1921B dollar was struck but never released for circulation.

Although it was minted till 1935, the British dollar were demonetized with effect from 31st August 1904 in Straits Settlements. All Foreign silver dollar which were in circulation were replaced with the new Straits Dollars by Straits Settlements (coinage) order of 1903. It continued to remain as legal tender in Hong Kong until 1937, at the outbreak of the second Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45.

Mintage

Year	Bombay Mint	Calcutta Mint	Royal Mint
1895	3,316,036	nil	unknown
1896	6,135,617	nil	nil
1897	21,286,427	nil	unknown
1898	21,545,564	nil	unknown
1899	30,743,159	nil	nil
1900	9,106,619	unknown	363,372
1901	25,684,971	1,513,685	nil
1902	30,404,499	1,266,618	nil
1903	3,955,647	nil	nil
1904	648,847	nil	nil
1907	1,945,726	nil	nil
1908	6,870,741	nil	nil
1909	5,954,218	nil	nil
1910	5,552,910	nil	nil
1911	37,470,509	nil	nil
1912	5,672,075	nil	nil
1913	1,566,693	nil	nil
1921	50,211	nil	nil
1925	nil	nil	6,869,853
1929	5,100,036	nil	nil
1930	nil	nil	6,664,865
1930	10,401,032	nil	nil
1934	17,335,205	nil	nil
1935	6,811,995	nil	nil

Source :

http://www.obsoletecoin.com/2013/07/british-trade-dollar-istory.html