Common, scarce and rare U.S. Peace silver dollars (1921-35) at Mintmark.com.
1926-S Peace Dollar
26.73 grams; .900 silver; 38.1 mm
"The Peace Dollar is a silver United States dollar coin minted from 1921 to 1928, then again in 1934 and 1935. Early proposals for the coin called for a commemorative issue to coincide with the end of World War I, but the Peace Dollar was issued as a circulating coin. Designed by Anthony de Francisci, the Peace Dollar was so named because the word PEACE appears on the bottom of the coin's reverse. It contains 0.77344 troy ounces of silver, and was the successor to the Morgan Dollar, which had not been regularly minted since 1904. With the passage of the Pittman Act in 1918, the mintage of dollar coins was enabled to start again. Prior to the design and acceptance of the Peace Dollar, the Morgan Dollar was minted again in 1921. After a six-year pause in minting, the Peace Dollar was again minted in 1934 and 1935. It was minted briefly in 1965 (dated 1964), but no examples of this issue were ever released to the public and the entire mintage was supposed to have been melted. The Peace Dollar is the last silver dollar minted for circulation in the United States. The original inspiration for the Peace Dollar was a paper published in the November 1918 issue of The Numismatist, the magazine of the American Numismatic Association. In it, editor Frank G. Duffield called for a commemorative coin to mark the impending end of World War I. The paper was to be presented at the summer 1918 convention. The convention was cancelled because of the Spanish flu pandemic. Duffield's paper stated that:
An event of international interest, and one worthy to be commemorated by a United States coin issue, is scheduled to take place in the near future. The date has not yet been determined, but it will be when the twentieth century vandals have been beaten to their knees and been compelled to accept the terms of the Allies . . . It should be issued in such quantities that it will never become rare, and it should circulate at face value.
The theme for the proposed coin was elaborated upon at the Chicago ANA convention of August 1920. A paper written by Farran Zerbe called for a coin that would showcase the ideals of democracy, liberty, prosperity, and honor. The proposal called for either a half dollar or dollar, in order to provide as much space as possible for the design . . . Anthony de Francisci's design featured his rendition of Lady Liberty on the obverse. His wife, Teresa, was the model for the sculpture. The font used is an example of the then-popular Art Deco style. This is exemplified by the inscription, IN GOD WE TRVST, which uses the Latin angular U. The original design for the coin's reverse featured a Bald Eagle holding (or standing on) a broken sword, symbolizing peace. This design was interpreted as one of defeat, rather than peace, so Chief Engraver Morgan altered the design to replace the sword with an olive branch (itself a symbol of peace). The eagle is perched on a rock, facing a group of the sun's rays. The design of the Peace Dollar drew considerable criticism upon its release. A few of the elements of de Francisci's design that drew negative commentary were the open-mouthed Lady Liberty and the Latinized spelling of trust. The negative response was sufficient enough that the US Mint issued a statement on February 9, 1922, stating that the coin would not be withdrawn. In recent years, however, coin collectors have come to view the Peace Dollar as an attractive and desirable coin . . ." — Peace Dollar at Wikipedia. This version was edited and (or) revised by Mintmark.com.
