International Fine Objects

Chinese Silver Dollar Sets Produced by the Washington Mint

Often seen across the internet and at auction are plastic holders inscribed:

As dealers of vintage Chinese coins we encounter these sets constantly and receive many questions about them. This article collects what we know.

Background

In late 1983, a coin marketing company called the "Washington Mint" acquired and distributed a large quantity of genuine Chinese silver dollars. At the time these were worth essentially bullion value in average circulated condition, regarded in the US as exotic curiosities alongside more popular domestic issues. With the rise of Chinese coin collecting through the 1990s and its peak around 2021, they have since appreciated to several hundred dollars apiece.

Some sets shipped with letters signed by the company director, J. Richard Berglund, one bearing an October 1983 stamp. The sets were advertised in coin magazines; some of those adverts have been digitised by the Newman Numismatic Portal.

About the Coins

Most sets contain a long-spine 1908 Chihli dollar and a thin-rims 1934 Junk dollar. The Chihli is the most available of the highly sought Qing Dynasty dragon dollars, actually re-struck well into the Republic period (1912–49). The 1934 Junk dollar is one of the most widely available Republic silver dollars alongside the Fatman and Memento dollars.

With the 1908 Chihli, photography in the sets is often too blurry to identify sub-varieties beyond the Long vs Short tail spine. Varieties such as "Fancy 3" or "Crosslet 4" may have entered sets undetected. Two backgrounds are known: blue and white. The blue is scarcer. All coins were harshly cleaned and typically achieve only XF or AU Details grades if submitted to PCGS.

Authenticity

Collectors should exercise caution on eBay. As values have risen, coins have been removed from holders and encapsulated by PCGS, leaving empty holders to circulate on the secondary market (e.g. the August 2021 eBay sale of six empty sets). It is impossible to know which coins may have been substituted. That said, original sets remain a reliable and affordable way to acquire two genuine Chinese silver dollars.

Sales Records

The table below covers 120 sets sold on eBay between May 2009 and August 2021, compiled from Worthpoint. Approximately one quarter of all sales occurred in the five-month window between March and August 2020, reflecting the sharp increase in collector interest during that period.

Date	Left coin	Right coin	Background	Note	Source
Aug 31, 2022	1908 Chihli, Short Spine	1934 Junk, thick rims	White		Worthpoint
Aug 21, 2022	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Jun 15, 2022	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thick rims	White		Worthpoint
Jun 11, 2022	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Aug 17, 2021	Empty	Empty	White	6 empty sets	Worthpoint
Jul 22, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thick rims	White		Worthpoint
Jul 12, 2021	1903 Chihli	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Jul 09, 2021	Hupeh Puyi Dollar	1934 Junk, thick rims	White	With letter from WM	Worthpoint
May 30, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
May 30, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
May 14, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Apr 11, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Apr 08, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Mar 24, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thick rims	White	Possible Fancy 3	Worthpoint
Mar 18, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Mar 15, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thick rims	White		Worthpoint
Mar 13, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Mar 11, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thick rims	White		Worthpoint
Feb 22, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	Blue		Worthpoint
Feb 11, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Feb 08, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	Blue		Worthpoint
Jan 29, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Jan 18, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Jan 18, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	Blue		Worthpoint
Jan 11, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Jan 11, 2021	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1927 Memento Dollar	White		Worthpoint
Nov 13, 2020	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Oct 30, 2020	1911 Tientsin Dollar	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Oct 28, 2020	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint
Oct 17, 2020	1903 Chihli	1934 Junk, thick rims	White		Worthpoint
Mar 10, 2020	1908 Chihli, Long Spine	1934 Junk, thin rims	White		Worthpoint