Silver Peace Dollar

Firstly this fine example of a Silver Peace dollar 1922.

Which has been enamalled is encased on a silver necklace it has been in the family  for 3 generations. looking closely it appears to be high struck.

Designed by Anthony de Francisci, the coin was the result of a competition to find designs emblematic of peace.

34 years old, de Francisci was the youngest of the competitors.

The sculptor based the obverse design of Liberty on the features of his wife, Teresa de Francisci .

Due to the short length of the competition, he lacked the time to hire a model with the features he envisioned.

Its obverse represents the head and neck of the Goddess of Liberty in profile. 

The reverse depicts a bald eagle at rest clutching an olive branch, with the legend “Peace”.

The reverse and obverse of the coin was modified several times during the production.

Silver Peace dollar 1922 was first struck on December 28, 1921; just over a million were coined bearing a 1921 date.

The high relief of the 1921 design was found impractical and was modified to low or shallow relief in 1922.35,401 coins had been made and most of them melted in the mint.

Also, high relief 1922 proof dollars occasionally appear on the market and it is believed that about six to 10 of them exist.

 The rare Mate and Satin Finish Proofs of 1922 are both the high and low (normal) relief style.

Silver Peace dollar 1922: High Relief

Early Silver Dollars

Mintage: 35,401Minted at: Philadelphia Designer - Engraver: Anthony de Francisci Metal Composition: 90% Silver - 10% Copper Diameter: 38.1 mm Mass / Weight: 26.73 grams

What this coin looks like (obverse, reverse, mint mark location, special features, etc.):

Silver Peace dollar 1922,

One extremely rare and valuable variety is the 1922 High Relief Peace Dollar.

Most 1922 Peace dollars are Normal Relief. So their features are not as sharp and they don't stand out as much. In the previous year - All 1921 Peace Dollars were High Relief.

The US Mint found that this original high relief design produced a higher quality and more beautiful coin but it caused more wear and tear on the dies that produce the coins - which had to be replaced often.

So early in 1922: The US Mint decided it was more practical to produce dies that resulted in a coin design with lower relief and lower quality for general circulation.

Silver Peace dollar 1922,

The US Mint originally produced 35401 of these 1922 High Relief coins (mostly non-proof business strikes intended for general circulation) before going to a Normal relief design. Nearly all of these high relief coins were melted down a short time later by the US Mint. Only about 10 to 12 High Relief 1922 Proof (Matte Proof) Peace Dollars are estimated to exist. One stray non-proof business strike coin also exists!

Silver Peace dollar 1922

Depicted above is a 1922 High Relief Matte Proof Peace Dollar while the image below depicts a 1922 Normal Relief Matte Proof Peace Dollar. Both varieties are exceptionally valuable - but the High Relief version is the crown jewel (Sources of example images are courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries):

Silver Peace dollar 1922, It is quite easy to identify the differences between the high relief and low relief coins.

Both the obverse (front) and reverse (back) of the coin have differences. Whilst on the obverse of the coin.

The numbers in the date and letters appear thicker on the high relief variety .Furthermore  even the spikes coming off the liberty crown are noticeably thicker.

Although on the normal relief variety the spikes are longer and thinner with one small extra spike between the two left-most spikes.

These features are depicted by the arrows in the example image below (Notice how much longer and thinner the spikes are near the letter "E" in the word "LIBERTY" on the Normal Relief variety vs the shorter spikes on the High Relief variety):

Silver Peace dollar 1922,

On the reverse of the coin: The high relief version also features thicker letters.

The letters are much clearer on the high relief variety whereas the letters on the reverse lower relief coin appear blurry . Especially in the word "PEACE" at the base of the coin.

The portrait of the eagle and the rays are also vastly more detailed than the lower relief variety.

The rays are also longer on the high relief version and there are two extra rays near the rock where the eagle is perched depicted by the arrows .

Two rays clearly appear within the middle of the letter "O" in the word "DOLLAR" on the high relief version.

Whereas on the low relief variety there is only one ray "clearly" seen through the middle of the "O".

The differences are depicted below in the example comparison image of the reverse of the coins:

USA Coin Book estimated value of 1922 Peace Silver Dollar (High Relief Variety) (Proof coin) is worth $127,523 or more.

A Guide to Buying and Selling Peace & Morgan Silver Dollars

Finally the rich history of U.S. silver dollars goes back to 1794. Above all the introduction of the "Flowing Hair" dollar followed by the Draped Bust, Gobrecht and Trade silver dollars.

But it is the Peace and Morgan silver dollars that have captured the attention of casual and not-so-casual silver coin investors. Interest continues to be strong going into 2018.