Peace Silver Dollars

Silver Peace Dollars are an affordable option as an precious metals investment, while collecting a piece of Americas rich history.

The United States Peace Dollars are patriotic tributes to one of America’s greatest triumphs in the pursuit of liberty, and they also hold the unique distinction of being the last silver dollar struck for general circulation in the United States. Each Peace Dollar is made of .900 fine silver, yielding a total silver content of .77344 troy ounces per coin. In addition to being a coin worth far more in silver bullion content than its stated denomination, the Peace Dollar is also a keepsake of American history. The world’s victory over tyranny during World War I came at grave costs to the United States. Following the year’s of deep and widespread sacrifice, the nation needed to celebrate her victory and honor her fallen heroes. A groundswell began throughout the numismatic community for the introduction of a new coin that would serve as a fitting tribute to the great war effort where so much blood and treasure had been sacrificed for liberty and world peace. As the influential coin expert Farren Zerbe stated in his very influential paper on the topic, Commemorate the Peace with a Coin for Circulation, “…we gave our silver dollars to help win the war; we restore them in commemoration of victory and peace.” In addition to the coin community’s advocacy for a new silver dollar, the Pittman Act of 1918 required the Treasury Department to produce millions of new silver dollars that would replace all the silver coins that had been melted in order to support the great war effort.As a result of both factors, a competition was announced for the design of the Peace Dollar. Anothony de Francisci, an Italian sculptor, was eventually selected by the Commission of Fine Arts to design the new Peace Dollar. The design was explicitly required to be emblematic of peace and to feature Lady Liberty on the obverse with an eagle on the reverse side of the coin. This was in keeping with the legal design requirements of the Morgan Silver Dollar that had preceeded it. Francisci’s inspiration for the obverse design of Lady Liberty was the profile of his wife, Teresa de Francisci. He later recalled that he opened a window while she posed so that her hair would flow in the wind just as he envisioned the profile of Liberty. The results are both classic and decidedly nouveau for the time. Commenting on the youthful and less Greek-like interpretation of Liberty, a Philidelphia reporter stated that “Helenic beauty seems to have been superseded by the newer ‘flapper’ type.” The public loved Liberty’s new design, but they were not as enthralled with Francisci’s original eagle design on the reverse side which depicted a broken sword as well as an olive branch. Some of the public felt that a broken sword might signify defeat, and therefore, with assistance from the chief engraver at the U.S. Mint, Francisco redesigned the reverse of the coin to show the eagle clutching only an olive branch. The eagle can also be seen peering at the sun through a pattern of its rays. The eagle stands on a rock upon which is written a single word: Peace.