1877-CC Trade Dollar. MS-62 (PCGS).；Otherwise brilliant surfaces reveal delicate sandy-gold highlights in isolated areas. The strike is razor sharp throughout and the luster is full with a satiny texture. Although produced to a slightly greater extent than the 1876-CC (534,000 vs. 509,000 coins), the 1877-CC is a bit more elusive in todays market. In fact, the 1877-CC is one of the leading trade dollar rarities in Mint State. This can best be explained by the fact that the mintage was intended for export to the Orient, which is undoubtedly where most of the coins were shipped. Regarding this issue and its intended use, the June 29, 1877 issue of Virginia City, Nevadas <em>Territorial Enterprise,</em> reported:<br /><br /><em>"The work of coining trade dollars will be briskly resumed at the Carson City Mint July 1. The trades are not for circulation here. They will be shipped to San Francisco, thence to China."</em><br /><br />With the Carson City Mint destroying some 44,148 trade dollars on July 19, 1878, it is possible that a small quantity of undistributed 1877-CC coins went to the melting pot alongside their 1878-CC counterparts -- further contributing to its scarcity.；
