Peace Dollar Question

That it does! With regard to mine, I, too, was surprised to find a Peace dollar with such great detail. Usually, the strikes for many of the date/ mintmark combinations are rather "mushy," and tend to lack definition. Provided mine turns out to be genuine, perhaps they came from a shared die. :)




All right, thank you. In light of the questions that have been raised about this silver dollar's authenticity, at this point I just hope that is what it is- a regular-issue dollar that was exceptionally well-struck.

Three things: First, have you tried the "ring test?" That is, see if it sounds like silver? For most low-value coins, this is as easy as dropping it on a hard surface, like a table or countertop. Silver will have a high-pitched ring that isn't present with other metals. But if you still think this might be a proof, you would not want to risk damaging it. Balance it on a fingertip and give it a tap on the edge with something hard, like a pen.

Second, the different reeding caught my attention. To have reeding on a coin different from the regular coins of a series, you would need a collar different from the regular collar. I do not know if the proofs were struck using a different collar than production pieces, but I guess it could be possible. Is there someone here who knows if the proof 1922 Peace dollars were struck using a special collar?

Third, I just checked the diagnostics, and it is NOT a high-relief strike. It has the long rays by the "E" in LIBERTY, the short ray over the "N" in ONE, and the additional short ray between the first two long rays in Liberty's crown just to the right of the "I" in LIBERTY, all features of the normal relief strike.

That's what I thought as well--since it's the most common silver dollar in existence--but then some people here have confirmed that it looks too different from a standard 1922 Peace dollar to be authentic.

With regard to weighing it, I just purchased a second jewelry scale from Amazon. It should come in on Friday, and I will be able to provide some more information then.




Indeed I have. I flipped/ twirled the coin around in my hand, and it does make a sound that appears to be identical to 3 other silver dollars I tested. It definitely has a kind of "ring" to it, rather than being dull or flat.

Mine as well, which I why I posted a picture of that, too. The reeding on my other on-hand silver dollars is ever-so-slightly concave, whereas the reeding on this one is essentially squared-off. It's a characteristic I've seen on proof half-dollars--which have much thicker, more well-pronounced reeding than circulation strikes do--but at this point I am nevertheless getting rather nervous about this coin's authenticity.

Thank you for looking. I determined that as well, since the coin is definitely one of the low-relief versions (albeit an exceptionally well-defined example). However, I did find out there were a small number of low-relief proofs made as well, which is what I was then trying to compare this specific coin to.

Finally, is there any significance to the small lamination error present over the "O" in "One Dollar" with regard to diagnosing this coin?

...and you can buy them struck in silver.

I, too, thought it warranted further discussion/ investigation, which is why I posted about the coin here. I've come across a lot of 1922 Peace dollars during my coin-buying excursions, and this one is by far the best-looking one I've encountered (if it proves to be authentic, that is).

I ordered a scale on Amazon as a precautionary measure, and will post the weight of this coin when the order gets shipped to me (it should be here on Friday).




That it is. Part of the reason I purchased the coin was because of how much it stood out from the other 1922 Peace dollars the dealer had on-hand; it was quite eye-catching in the store.

Thank you for the analysis; I appreciate it. I knew right away that it was not a high-relief coin--since its design level was identical to that of the other Peace dollars there--but I was unsure of how to fully check it against a 1922 low-relief proof, as information on them is rather scarce.

Aside your evaluation, which I agree with, nothing bothers me about the 1934's authenticity. Dates tend to be well-struck on Peace dollars, I'm guessing because of the relative lack of deep reverse features on the other side to monopolize metal flow during the strike.

As far as the 1922, I wonder if maybe the die was improperly basined. The center is strongly struck, while the periphery still shows some of the characteristic Peace dollar weakness.

Those little details, to me, are also somewhat an argument in favor of authenticity as well.