Trade-dollar locket

As trade dollars circulated in Asia in the late 19th century, the lockets were popularly thought to be used to carry opium concealed in the secret compartment.

Trade-dollar lockets were made by hinging together two such coins to form a compartment, which could be opened by pressing on the lid or edge.

[2] An 1893 issue of Donahoe's Magazine described their locket as "a pretty thing to have around" to hide a "dear face which no one else can discover".

[4] In 1896, an illustrated catalogue titled Busiest House in America advertised a six-dollar "secret locket" made from trade dollars.

[1] An 1896 publication which purports to be one manufacturer of the trade dollar locket suggests that the coin was not used to conceal opium.