Peace Dollars (1921-1935)

Peace Silver Dollars at BGASC

The Peace Silver Dollar directly followed the Morgan Silver Dollar. Despite a much shorter tenure, these coins proved to be popular as well for their unique design and collectability over the years. Learn more about Peace Silver Dollars at BGASC, right here.

Peace Silver Dollar History

In 1918, the United States melted down 300 million Silver Dollars. They turned them into Silver Bars and sold them to the British to help fund their war against Germany. The Pittman Act of 1918 further required the US Mint to strike millions of new Silver Dollars. At first, the US Mint used the Morgan Silver Dollar for one last year, before transitioning to the Peace Silver Dollar.

With the end of World War I, numismatists wanted a new design for the Silver Dollar, one that memorialized the peace that followed. The US Mint then decided to hold a contest for the new design. Sculptors were to send in designs that featured Lady Liberty on the obverse and an eagle on the reverse, with the winner receiving $1,500.

The contest was won by 34-year-old Anthony de Francisci who was the youngest, had the least amount of experience, and had only worked with the US Mint on one prior occasion.

Peace Silver Dollars were struck annually from 1921 to 1928 before production was ceased. Production resumed and new coins were issued from 1934 to 1935 before once again production of Silver Dollars stopped.

Design

• Obverse: Lady Liberty is seen in left-profile relief, donning a radiate crown. Notably, Francisci’s wife, Teresa, served as the model for this depiction. The year of issue is seen at the bottom while other inscriptions such as “Liberty” and “In God We Trust” are shown.
• Reverse: A bald eagle is seen perched on a rock in right-profile relief. The sun can be seen gleaming up from the bottom. Inscriptions include “One Dollar,” “United States of America,” and “E Pluribus Unum.”

Mintage Numbers

From 1921 to 1935, three branches of the US Mint struck a total of 190,877,279 of these coins.

• Philadelphia Mint: 111,230,179 (1921-1935)
• San Francisco Mint: 52,286,000 (1922-1935)
• Denver Mint: 27,061,100 (1922-1923, 1926-1927, 1934)

Certified Peace Silver Dollars

One popular option for investors and collectors is to purchase Certified Peace Silver Dollars. These are immensely popular as they give the buyer the peace of mind that they know exactly what they’re buying. These coins have been graded by a certified grading service such as the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) or the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).

Both of these coin-grading providers use the Sheldon Scale of 1-70 to grade coins. However, due to the age of these Peace Silver Dollars, it’s common to see grades in the mid to lower 60s.

Investing in Peace Silver Dollars at BGASC

Contact the BGASC team today with any questions you may have regarding Peace Silver Dollars. Our team can be reached via email, through our online chat feature, or by calling us at 888-992-4272.