trade dollar

American  

noun

1. a silver coin of the U.S., containing slightly more silver than the standard dollar, issued from 1873 to 1885 for trade with Asia.

---

Etymology

Origin of trade dollar

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trade dollar

The trade dollar of 1873 shows Liberty wearing a diadem, seated on a bale of goods by the sea.

From Time Magazine Archive

Jackson declares: "The time has come to place our highest human values ahead of the trade dollar."

From Time Magazine Archive

It provided for the coinage of a dollar that was to contain 420 grains of standard silver, and was to be known as the trade dollar.

From Reminiscences of Sixty Years in Public Affairs, Vol. 2 by Boutwell, George S.

In case another silver dollar was authorized, I recommended that the trade dollar be discontinued.

From Recollections of Forty Years in the House, Senate and Cabinet An Autobiography. by Sherman, John

Mr. Sargent, a Senator from California, early in the session introduced a bill enlarging the limit of legal tender of minor coins, and repealing the legal tender quality of the trade dollar.

From Recollections of Forty Years in the House, Senate and Cabinet An Autobiography. by Sherman, John