The Peace Dollar - 1921 to 1935
The Peace Dollar is the United States silver dollar that was made from 1921 to 1928, and then again in 1934 and 1935.
It was originally made to celebrate the end of World War I, but it was also put into circulation for public use.
This silver dollar was designed by an Italian-American sculptor named Anthony de Francisi.
Theresa de Francisi, wife of Anthony, was the model for his Lady Liberty design used on the obverse of the coin.
The original design for the reverse was that of a bald eagle standing on, or holding, a broken sword.
However, this was viewed as a symbol of defeat, so the sword was replaced with an olive branch, which is known as a peace symbol.
It was named the Peace Dollar because the word "peace" is on the reverse side of the coin.
Originally, the idea for a silver dollar to commemorate the ending of World War I was the brainchild of Frank G.
Duffield, editor of an American magazine called The Numismatist.
He published a paper asking for this, and it was meant to be presented at the 1918 convention of The American Numismatic Association.
However, the world wide Spanish flu epidemic of that year put a halt to the convention.
At the 1920 ANA convention, it resurfaced again through a paper written by Farran Zerbe.
He asked for a coin designed to show democracys ideals.
It was suggested that this coin be either a half dollar or a dollar so there would be enough room for the design.
The biggest problem is that there had been no dollar coin made for public circulation since 1904.
The Pittman Act of 1918 helped solve the problem.
Previously uncirculated Morgan silver dollars were now allowed to be melted down for use in making the new Peace Dollar.
George T.
Morgan, designer of the Morgan silver dollars, lost out on the chance to design the new commemorative ones to Anthony de Francisi.
The Peace Dollar started production on December 21, 1921, and went into circulation on January 3, 1922.
That was also the day that President Harding was given the first one.
However, by 1928, there still wasn't enough of a demand for silver dollars, so production was halted once again.
It returned for a short time in 1934 and 1935 because there was a need for Silver certificate backing.
The casino industry in Nevada almost made the silver dollar return in 1964.
Congress approved the making of 45 million silver dollars that year.
However, in 1965, with a shortage of silver, the renewed Peace Dollar project was dropped and all those minted were sent back into the melting pot.
For the collector, these special coins are highly desirable.
It takes only 24 date and mint marks to complete a set and is very reasonable to assemble in About Uncirculated or Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
There were some proofs made in 1921 and 1922 that are very rare.
These can be worth several tens of thousands of dollars.
Some Peace Dollars made in 1921, 1925, 1928, and 1934 are considered to be quite rare, especially in the higher mint states, and are highly sought after by serious collectors.
It was originally made to celebrate the end of World War I, but it was also put into circulation for public use.
This silver dollar was designed by an Italian-American sculptor named Anthony de Francisi.
Theresa de Francisi, wife of Anthony, was the model for his Lady Liberty design used on the obverse of the coin.
The original design for the reverse was that of a bald eagle standing on, or holding, a broken sword.
However, this was viewed as a symbol of defeat, so the sword was replaced with an olive branch, which is known as a peace symbol.
It was named the Peace Dollar because the word "peace" is on the reverse side of the coin.
Originally, the idea for a silver dollar to commemorate the ending of World War I was the brainchild of Frank G.
Duffield, editor of an American magazine called The Numismatist.
He published a paper asking for this, and it was meant to be presented at the 1918 convention of The American Numismatic Association.
However, the world wide Spanish flu epidemic of that year put a halt to the convention.
At the 1920 ANA convention, it resurfaced again through a paper written by Farran Zerbe.
He asked for a coin designed to show democracys ideals.
It was suggested that this coin be either a half dollar or a dollar so there would be enough room for the design.
The biggest problem is that there had been no dollar coin made for public circulation since 1904.
The Pittman Act of 1918 helped solve the problem.
Previously uncirculated Morgan silver dollars were now allowed to be melted down for use in making the new Peace Dollar.
George T.
Morgan, designer of the Morgan silver dollars, lost out on the chance to design the new commemorative ones to Anthony de Francisi.
The Peace Dollar started production on December 21, 1921, and went into circulation on January 3, 1922.
That was also the day that President Harding was given the first one.
However, by 1928, there still wasn't enough of a demand for silver dollars, so production was halted once again.
It returned for a short time in 1934 and 1935 because there was a need for Silver certificate backing.
The casino industry in Nevada almost made the silver dollar return in 1964.
Congress approved the making of 45 million silver dollars that year.
However, in 1965, with a shortage of silver, the renewed Peace Dollar project was dropped and all those minted were sent back into the melting pot.
For the collector, these special coins are highly desirable.
It takes only 24 date and mint marks to complete a set and is very reasonable to assemble in About Uncirculated or Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
There were some proofs made in 1921 and 1922 that are very rare.
These can be worth several tens of thousands of dollars.
Some Peace Dollars made in 1921, 1925, 1928, and 1934 are considered to be quite rare, especially in the higher mint states, and are highly sought after by serious collectors.
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