Eagle Dollar (with chopmarks)
1887 ・ silver ・ 19th century ・ Zacatecas Mint
In China, from the Qing dynasty onward, the Spanish Carolus silver dollar circulated under the name "Benyang" (original foreign coin). After Mexican independence, the 8 reales with the eagle took its place, and people called it "Yingyang" (Eagle Dollar). By the 1850s, the Eagle Dollar had become the de facto standard currency in the treaty ports. Merchants would strike small assay marks—chopmarks—on the silver coins they received, passing them on to the next transaction as verified silver. The silver coin from a country in continuous civil war was the most trusted currency across the sea. The eagle continued to fly, unaware of the turmoil in its homeland.