US Trade Dollar: Rarity, Collection Types, and Top 37 Varieties by Joe Kirchgessner
This is THE Trade Dollar reference book. Nothing else even exists for comparison. It's a seminal work without compare. Buy it if you can.
After decades of research and work, US Trade Dollar: Rarity, Collection Types, and Top 37 Varieties by Joe Kirchgessner is now the definitive resource on U.S. Trade Dollars. This is the first comprehensive book to approach the T$ in such depth, and it fills a long-standing gap in numismatic literature. Joe's work is not only a remarkable contribution to the hobby but also a major leap forward for the serious study and collectability of these coins. I couldn’t be happier to see all of Joe's hard work pay off in such an impressive way. This achievement reflects both his passion and commitment to accuracy and detail.
Utilizing portions of this book in earlier draft format and now as a completed package has had a massive impact on my own collecting. It clarified previously unknown and unanswerable questions I'd had for years and helped me identify varieties and diagnostics I didn't understand or even know existed.
The book starts off with a brief history and context behind trade dollars. As it progresses, it breaks down populations, die combinations, varieties, counterfeit detection, and eventually finishes with an in-depth die study. It’s laid out really well, easing the reader in and then going deep for those who want to go all the way down the rabbit hole. It’s structured to welcome beginners but ultimately also works for the most advanced collectors.
In my opinion, the book’s standout strength is its breakdown of varieties and die pairings. The die analysis is extremely useful for a T$ fanatic; there’s a ton of original research here that hasn’t been published anywhere else. And with the commonality of high quality fakes, the die analysis in combination with the counterfeit detection section is worth the price of admission by itself. Joe laid the book out in an approachable fashion without making it feel overwhelming, even when he gets into the very technical stuff.
If you’re into trade dollars or curious about them, this book is required reading; I expect it to be on every serious numismatist's shelf soon. It’s detailed without being dry, technical without being confusing, and it is the reference for trade dollars. Enormous congratulations are due to Joe for putting this together — it’s a HUGE contribution to the hobby.