The regular issue trade dollar series passed into history in 1883 with a Proof-only delivery of 979 coins (the 1884 and 1885 trade dollars were clandestine issues). This is actually the sixth in a run of consecutive Proof-only issues from the Philadelphia Mint which began in 1878 when Secretary of the Treasury John Sherman halted circulation strike trade dollar production. (The Carson City and San Francisco mints each managed one final circulation strike delivery in 1878 despite the Treasury secretary's order.) The 1883 has long been popular with both type collectors and series specialists.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the August 2011 Chicago ANA Auction, where it realized $38,525.