Peace Silver Dollar

The Peace Silver Dollar was minted in the US from 1921 to 1928 and once again between 1934 and 1935. The Peace Dollar was issued as a circulating coin in spite of the fact that the earlier proposals for the coin were to be for a commemorative issue to mark the end of World War I.

Anthony de Francisi was the designer of the Peace Silver Dollar. The word PEACE is on the bottom of the reverse of this coin. The Peace Silver Dollar was the successor to the Morgan Dollar.

After the 1921 to 1928 coins were minted, there was a cessation of minting in the US, so the Peace Silver Dollar was minted again in 1934 and 1935. Once more in 1965 the Peace Silver Dollar was minted again but none of these coins were released to the public. All of this mintage was melted down. The Peace Dollar is the last silver dollar that was minted for circulation in the United States.

Designer de Francisci’s wife was the model for the design. The font that was used on this coin was in Art Deco style, which was very popular at the time. This is seen in the inscription “IN GOD WE TRVST” that used the Latin angular U.

The reverse features an eagle sitting atop a rock, facing the sun’s rays. The original design for the reverse featured a bald eagle standing on a broken sword to symbolize peace. This design was seen by many as a symbolization for defeat rather than peace, so the design was altered to use an olive branch in place of the sword.

The public was not satisfied with the design. Lady Liberty has her mouth open and they criticized the Latin spelling of ‘trust’. The Mint released a public statement in 1922, stating that the coin would not be taken out of circulation. These days however, the Peace Silver Dollar is a highly sought after coin.