One of the most popular high quality type candidates in the trade dollar series, the 1879 inaugurates a run of Proof-only dates that would continue through the series' official end in 1883. The Proof mintage amounted to 1,541 pieces. In early 1880 the momentum continued and even more were produced. The fad passed quickly, and in 1881 the mintage fell back sharply. Today the Proof-only issues of trade dollars, readily collectible of the years 1878 through 1883, form an interesting sub-specialty.

The example to the left was sold by Stack's Bowers Galleries in the March 2012 Baltimore Auction, where it realized $32,200.