I've previously posted about the commemorative nature of the US 1921
Peace dollar (You can read it here:
1921 Peace dollar - Circulating Commemorative.) In that previous discussion, I referenced the Joint Resolution that proposed the coin, but only included a snippet from it. I thought some folks might like to read the entire Joint Resolution, so...
JOINT RESOLUTIONTo provide for the coinage of peace dollars,
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That as soon as practicable after the passage of this resolution, all standard silver dollars coined under the provisions of section 2 of the Act entitled "An Act to conserve the gold supply of the United States; to permit the settlement in silver of trade balances adverse to the United States; to provide silver for subsidiary coinage and for commercial use; to assist foreign Governments at war with the enemies of the United States; and for the above purposes to stabilize the price and encourage the production of silver," approved April 23, 1918, shall be of an appropriate design
commemorative of the termination of the war between the Imperial German Government and the Government and people of the United States. (emphasis added)
Such design shall be selected by the Director of the Mint with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. Each standard silver dollar of such design shall be known as the "peace dollar."
I've always found the specificity of the Resolution interesting - it specifically calls out "the Imperial German Government" while making no mention of the Central Powers that were aligned with Germany - Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. I realize that the surrender of each Central Powers member was dealt with via a separate armistice agreement, but all were necessary to achieve overall peace. So, why not mention them in the Resolution?
As I discussed in my previous post, while the JR was not approved by Congress, the Treasury/Mint moved forward with a "
Peace dollar" under its own authority and created a circulating 1921 commemorative coin that celebrated the end of World War I.
1921 Peace Dollar
(Image Credit: Heritage Auctions. Fair use, education.)For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more classic-era commemorative coin stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 03/19/2025 7:09 pm
