The Peace Silver Dollar, minted from 1921 to 1935, was designed by Anthony de Francisci to commemorate the end of World War I and symbolize peace. It features a radiant Liberty on the obverse and a perched eagle clutching an olive branch on the reverse. Each coin measures 38.1 mm in diameter, weighs 26.73 grams, and is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, containing 0.7734 troy ounces of silver.
Key Dates of the Peace Silver Dollar
| Year | Mintmark | Mintage | Why It’s Key |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | No Mintmark (Philadelphia) | 1,006,473 | First year of issue; high relief design, unique to this year. Scarce in high grades. |
| 1928 | No Mintmark (Philadelphia) | 360,649 | Lowest mintage business strike in the entire series. Very scarce and valuable in all grades. |
| 1934-S | S (San Francisco) | 1,011,000 | Rare in Mint State; most were weakly struck and heavily circulated. Very hard to find in MS65+. |
| 1924-S | S (San Francisco) | 1,728,000 | Common in circulated grades but difficult in higher Mint State grades with good luster. |
| 1925-S | S (San Francisco) | 1,610,000 | Poorly struck and weak luster; hard to find well-struck MS coins. |
| 1935-S | S (San Francisco) | 1,964,000 | Final year of the series; semi-key in Mint State due to low high-grade survival rate. |
Most Notorious Peace Dollar Dates for Weak Strikes:
| Year | Mint | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1924-S | San Francisco | Weakest struck in the entire series—Liberty’s hair and eagle’s feathers are often flat. |
| 1925-S | San Francisco | Poorly defined details; very difficult to find sharply struck examples in Mint State. |
| 1923-S | San Francisco | Often has weak central details and dull surfaces. |
| 1935-S | San Francisco | Final year; most coins struck with worn or shallow dies. |
| 1922–1926 | Philadelphia & Denver | Generally better than S-mint coins, but still occasionally weak around high points (Liberty’s hair, eagle’s wing). |
Don’t confuse weak strike with wear—many weakly struck coins retain full luster and minimal surface marks. Look closely at uncirculated examples for softness in high-relief areas.
 Erros/Varities
| Type | Example Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| High Relief Design | 1921 (circulation), 1922 (trial) | One-year design; very sharp relief |
| Doubled Die Reverse | 1934 | Scarce; look for doubling in reverse lettering |
| Die Break (“Mustache”) | 1922 | Prominent break on Liberty’s lip |
| Die Gouge (“Earring”) | 1922 | Popular but not rare |
| Weak Strikes | 1924-S, 1925-S | Not official errors, but strike-quality issues |
| Off-Center/Broadstrike | Various (rare) | Premium errors when obvious |
Grading Standards
VF-20 Very Fine – Hair over eye well worn. Some strands over ear well defined. Some Eagle’s feathers on top and outside edge of right wing visible.
EF-40 Extremely Fine— Hair lines over brow and ear are strong, though slightly worn. Outside wing feathers at right and those at top visible but faint.
AU50 About Uncirculated— Slight trace of wear. Most mint luster present, although marred by contact marks.
MS-60 Uncirculated— No trace of wear, Full mint luster, but possibly noticeably marred stains, surface marks, or bag abrasions.
MS-63 Choice Uncirculated— Some distracting contact marks or blemishes in prime focal areas. Impaired luster possible.
MS-64 Uncirculated— A few scattered contact marks, good eye appeal and attractive luster.
MS-65 Gem Uncirculated— Only light, scattered contact marks that are not distracting. Strong luster, good eye appeal.