1924-S Peace Dollar : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
 

1924 marked the fourth yr of manufacturing of Anthony de Francisci’s Peace Greenback design. As a denomination, the silver greenback had restricted enchantment as a circulating medium, seeing most of its use within the western states. Beneath the phrases of the Pittman Act of 1918, nevertheless, lots of of hundreds of thousands of Morgan {Dollars} held by the United States Treasury have been melted and offered to United Kingdom after which re-coined as Indian Rupees.

A key provision of the Act required that the Federal Authorities repurchase the silver it had offered (a concession to western mining pursuits) after which re-coin silver {dollars}. This recoinage started in 1921 with newly created hubs of the Morgan kind, earlier than public enter pressured the Treasury to introduce a brand new coin design to commemorate the tip of the First World Conflict.

As silver greenback manufacturing commenced in 1924, the United States Mint had already produced over 200 million of the 270 million silver {dollars} from the Congressional mandate. Beginning this yr, manufacturing would noticeably sluggish. Philadelphia decreased its output by 2/3, putting 11,811,000 1924 Peace {Dollars}, whereas the San Francisco Mint decreased its output by 90%. The Denver Mint didn’t strike silver {dollars}.

The 1924-S Peace Greenback mintage of 1,728,000 items makes the coin a collection semi-key. For collectors of Mint State examples, the 1924-S will get more and more scarce as one approaches the Gem Mint grade of MS65. MS66 examples are uncommon.

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1924-S Peace Greenback Historic Pricing Information

The 1924-S Peace Greenback was represented within the Redfield Hoard.

Within the January 1976 Numismatist, John B. Love of the Document Coin Store in Minimize Financial institution, Montana, marketed that he was providing $1,600 for good BU Rolls of this date.

Within the August 1976 Numismatist, vendor Joel Rettew marketed that he was promoting Gem BU examples of the 1924-S Peace Greenback from the Redfield Hoard for $165 every.

In an August 1978 Numismatist advert, vendor George H. Ashley, Jr. of Capital Metropolis Coin Trade in Richmond, Virginia, marketed GEM BU 1921 Peace {dollars} on the market at $220 every.

Market Information and Noteworthy Specimens

Prime Inhabitants: PCGS MS66 (6, 11/2024), NGC MS66 (2, 11/2024), and CAC MS66 (2:1 stickered:graded, 11/2024).

• PCGS MS66 #34728683: PCGS Consumer z20014. Imaged on PCGS CoinFacts. Sensible.
• NGC MS66 #4196792-003: (Probably) Heritage Auctions, January 6, 1999, Lot 5234 – $16,387.50; “The Pittstown Assortment,” Stack’s Bowers, March 25, 2021, Lot 4133 – $28,800.
• PCGS MS66 CAC #6569223: “The Paul Taylor Assortment,” Heritage Auctions, April 28, 2011, Lot 5301 – $54,625.

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Design

Obverse:

A left-facing bust of a youthful Liberty wears a tiara of rays that resembles the radiant crown on the Statue of Liberty. Most of Liberty’s hair is in a bun behind her head, although a number of locks are free and hanging alongside her neck.

Arcing clockwise alongside the rim on the higher half of the obverse subject is the inscription LIBERTY, and centered beneath the bust of Liberty close to the underside rim is the date 1924. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST seems in a single line of textual content throughout the decrease quarter of the obverse. It spreads throughout that part of the sphere, with the phrases IN GOD WE showing to the left of Liberty and the phrase TRUST situated behind her neck. Dots seem between the phrases IN GOD WE and are additionally seen on the rim aspect of the phrases IN and TRUST. The designer’s monogram, AF, seems beneath Liberty’s neck within the decrease obverse subject.

Reverse:

The reverse options an American bald eagle perched on a mountaintop. Clutched in its claws is an olive department symbolizing peace; not included on this explicit depiction of the eagle is a band of arrows representing army energy, an emblem generally seen in most portrayals of the patriotic hen. The rightward-facing eagle is seen at an angle partly turned away from the viewer and in direction of a dawn, which symbolizes the promise of dawning peace on the earth.

The daring rays within the picture of the rising solar harmonize with the rays seen in Liberty’s tiara on the coin’s obverse. The legend UNITED STATES oF AMERICA seems alongside the rim within the prime half of the reverse. The motto E PLURIBUS UNUM is situated straight beneath in lettering an identical in dimension to the legend. The eagle’s beak breaks the underside of the “S” in PLURIBUS and visually divides that phrase from UNUM; a dot punctuates the house between E and PLURIBUS.

The denomination ONE DOLLAR seems throughout the underside third of the reverse in a single line of textual content, with the phrase ONE inscribed to the left of the eagle by its tail feathers and DOLLAR superimposed over the solar’s rays to the proper of the eagle. Beneath the phrase ONE is the S mintmark of the San Francisco Mint. PEACE is inscribed alongside the rim beneath the eagle, atop the rock on which the patriotic hen stands.

Edge:

The sting of the 1924-S Peace Greenback is reeded.

Designer

Anthony de Francisci was born in Palermo, Sicily in 1887 and emigrated to the United States in 1905. He started his profession as a sculptor learning underneath such notable numismatic artists as James Earle Fraser, Hermon Atkins MacNeil, and Adolph Weinman. The Peace Greenback (1921-35) is his most well-known creation however he additionally produced a number of medals. He died in 1964.

1924-S Peace Greenback Coin Specs