A NEW TYPE OF 1804 DOLLAR

 

I ended my article last week with a list of terms for the 1804 dollars. This week I will propose a new term.

Three items sold on eBay last week that got my attention. They were listed under the title of "1804 UNITED STATES LIBERTY TRADE DOLLAR RARE SILVER COIN." The three listings used the same photos and same PCGS certification numbers. The PCGS type number is not valid. The serial number was assigned to an MS-69 Silver Eagle.

Two of these sold on October 8 with the third selling on October 9. Each sold for $9.99 which is probably a fair price considering the cost of production in China. If it was silver, the melt value would be around $45.

The stated grade of MS70+ makes a mockery of American grading standards and the piece is in violation of the 1973 Hobby Protection Act. I am going to call it a "Parody" 1804 dollar. No one should take the coin or holder seriously.

I am amused by the "thumbs-up" symbol over the QR code on the reverse. This should reassure a prospective buyer that they are getting a genuine illegal copy of a restrike of a fantasy in a fake slab.

Over the past two weeks I have looked at hundreds of images of 1804 dollar replicas. I am working to make a photo gallery showing known examples. This past weekend I dug deeper into the unmarked copies that are in violation of the 1973 Hobby Protection Act. What I found are not copies produced before the act but rather examples being currently offered.

I will refer to the seller of the MS70+ dollars as "Chinese eBay seller A." In the last three months he has sold about twenty unmarked replicas on eBay. Fourteen of these are the same die variety but I did not immediately note they are from the same seller because he used different photos. Most of these sold for $2.99 and $3.99. That variety has two noticeable cut marks on the shield. Initially I thought these were all copies of one coin. I now believe that marks are in the die and appear on many copies including those sold in the MS70+ holders.

The shield with cuts appears on four reverse dies. One is mated with three different obverse dies. The other three appear with different obverses. This probably says something about the way Chinese dies are made, but I am not an expert in this area.

Chinese eBay seller A has no current listings for 1804 dollars. Enter Chinese eBay seller B with an 1804 dollar currently listed. The photo is the exact same photo used by Seller A for coins sold August 29 and September 15. I wonder if this is the same seller using a different name or another seller borrowing the image to sell a coin they don"t have.

This piece is the only unmarked copy of an 1804 dollar offered on eBay on October 14, 2025. The listing was posted on September 12, 2025.

While seller A has no current listing for an 1804 dollar, they do have a "1951 UNITED STATES LIBERTY TRADE DOLLAR RARE SILVER COIN." The photo shows a 1951 Franklin Half. They have many other listings for what appear to be Chinese unmarked counterfeits sold below melt.

I will also mention Chinese eBay seller C who sold an 1804 dollar on August 4 for $.99. The listing uses the same exact title as seller A. The photo has a similar format but is a different coin.

In addition to the unmarked copies, I found an offering that appeared to have the word "COPY" printed in black on the photograph. It did not appear to me impressed in the coin. The ads are often deceptive using photos of coins other than what will be delivered and may have false descriptions for size and weight.

While it is easy to pick on Chinese eBay offers, there are at least two domestic mail order firms offering the same unmarked replicas for less than twenty dollars. I won"t name them.

I am attempting to identify die varieties for the unmarked 1804 dollar replicas. So far I can identify eleven different obverses with nine different Class III reverses. In contrast, I only found one copy with a Class I reverse.

I approached this with the idea that unmarked replicas had been produced prior to 1973. It now appears that they are all recent products produced in China. They are sold openly by dealers in this country.

I also found thirty-two different examples of marked copies of 1804 dollars. These are in the form of replicas, fantasies, one-ounce rounds, two-ounce rounds and novelties. There is an active market for legal copies as well as illegal copies.

I am not looking into the historical background of counterfeit 1804 dollars. My remarks represent a moment in time and just report on what I found available in early October 2025.

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
1804 DOLLAR STORIES (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n40a14.html)
1804 DOLLAR FAKES AND REPLICAS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n41a17.html)
1804 DOLLAR OFFERED ON EBAY (https://www.coinbooks.org/v28/esylum_v28n41a18.html)

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