2017-03-10 Fri

A 1662 Massachusetts Oak Tree twopence with a Chop Mark letter ‘D’ on the obverse was sold for $998.75 at Heritage’s auction by Ira and Larry Goldberg Auctioneers at the Long Beach Expo in February. Trade Dollars with Chop marks and counterstamps add to the historical value and interest levels of collectors.

The letter D is stamped at the centre of the obverse. Chop marks on Trade Dollars represent a Chinese character/ characters to check weight, authenticity and value of a coin. The D inscription could either be a chop mark or a counterstamp. There is no clarity as to what the letter represents or what it was used for. A similar coin without any marks has a market value of $2,000 to $3,000.