Description

The Peace dollar is a United States dollar coin minted from 1921 to 1928, and again in 1934 and 1935. It was the last United States dollar coin to be struck for circulation in silver.

The idea for a coin to commemorate the peace following World War I came from Farran Zerbe, former President of the ANA from 1908 to 1910 and active promoter of numismatics, particularly during the first quarter of the 20th century.

Issues of 1921, and a few pieces dated 1922, are in high relief, although collectors have not necessarily differentiated this as a distinct design. It was found that the high relief cause problems in having the pieces strike up properly, so in 1922 the motifs were redone to a shallower format, a style continued through 1935.

In 1964, the Denver Mint struck 316,076 Peace Dollars but, before they were released into circulation, all of the coins were destroyed. A few may have been purchased or "taken" by Mint employees and rumors persist of this coin's existence. However, for fear of confiscation by Treasury officials, none have yet appeared on the market. Were it legal to own, the 1964-D Peace Dollar would become one of the most valuable of all United States coins.

Engraver: Anthony de Francisci

Obverse

Depicts the head and neck of the Goddess of Liberty in profile, facing left, wearing a diadem of spikes (in somewhat similar style to that seen on the Statue of Liberty). LIBERTY is above, while IN GOD WE TRUST and the date are below.

The engraver, Anthony de Francisci, based the design of Liberty on the features of his wife, Teresa de Francisci.

LIBERTY
·IN·GOD·WE·TRVST·
AF
1925

Reverse

Depicts a perched bald eagle perched on a rock and clutching an olive branch, with the legend PEACE inscribed below. UNITED·STATES·OF·AMERICA and E·PLURIBUS UNUM are above, while ONE DOLLAR is to be seen just below the center. Rays of an unseen sun emanate from the lower right.

Mint marks D for Denver Mint and S for San Francisco Mint are located above the tip of eagle's wings below O of ONE. Philadelphia Mint specimens lack mint mark.

The bald eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. Bald eagles are not actually bald; the name derives from an older meaning of the word, "white headed".

The bald eagle is important in various Native American cultures and, as the national bird of the United States, is prominent in seals and logos, coinage, postage stamps, and other items relating to the U.S. federal government.

E Pluribus Unum — Latin for "Out of many, one" — is a phrase on the Seal of the United States. Never codified by law, E Pluribus Unum was considered a de facto motto of the United States until 1956 when the United States Congress passed an act (H. J. Resolution 396), adopting "In God We Trust" as the official motto.

UNITED·STATES·OF·AMERICA
E·PLURIBUS UNUM
ONE DOLLAR
PEACE

Edge
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Characteristics
Material Silver
Fineness 0.900
Weight 26.73 g
Diameter 38.1 mm
Thickness 2 mm
Shape round
Alignment Coin
Mints
Denver Mint (D)
Philadelphia Mint (no mintmark)
San Francisco Mint (S)

Related coins

Gobrecht Dollar

Silver, 26.96 g, ⌀ 39.5 mm
Gobrecht Dollar

Silver, 26.73 g, ⌀ 39.5 mm
Seated Liberty Dollar, Without Motto

Silver, 26.73 g, ⌀ 38.1 mm