1922 Peace $ PR67 Matte CAC
Floridafacelifter
Posts: 1,153 ✭✭✭✭✭
An awesome new addition to my type set.
PCGS Proof-67 CAC. Ex Raymond T. Baker, director of the United States Mint, 1917 to 1922; Ira & Larry Goldberg's Pre-Long Beach Auction of June 2014, lot 1344, Bob R. Simpson Collection.
Finest known, of 8 graded by PCGS. Mintage perhaps 10-12? The original mintage is unknown- since it was not a regular issue, the Mint did not keep records on the number struck. Undoubtedly very few were made, the coins being intended solely for distribution to influential politicians, Mint and Treasury Department officials, and others intimately involved in the creation and evolution of the Peace dollar design. The coins were not made available to the general public.
Per Stacks Bowers auctions:
“All Proof 1922 high relief Peace dollars were produced in the same manner, struck… on the Mint's medal press to bring up even the most intricate elements of the design. Once struck the coins were sandblasted in the Mint, this type of finish being popular at the time in production of high quality medallic and coinage works of art. These coins are often referred to as "Matte Proofs," or being of a "matte finish," although they are more accurately described as Sand Blast Proofs in keeping with the method of manufacture.”
Raymond Thomas Baker (November 22, 1877 – April 28, 1935) was a businessman born in Nevada, educated at Stanford University, and who grew wealthy from investing in gold mining operations. He was appointed Director of the United States Mint by President Woodrow Wilson, an office he held from 1917 to 1922. This coin was in his personal possession from the time it was struck and was passed down through his daughter to a family friend who eventually sold it in 2014.
Mint Director Raymond T. Baker and Sculptor Anthony de Francisci inspecting a model of the new “Peace” Dollar.
The Commission of Fine Arts held a competition for the design of a new silver dollar and invited "eight prominent sculptors to participate." Several of the entrants had already designed U.S. coins and achieved considerable fame. Although the youngest participant and a novice coin designer, de Francisci "won the competition and took home the $1,500 cash prize."
Regarding this event, "The Dec. 20, 1920, issue of the Baltimore Sun reported…'Eight medalists, all of them from New York, were in the competition for the award. The designs in bas-relief were exhibited privately in the office of Mint Director Raymond T. Baker, after he had shown the winning one to President Harding. The President expressed his pleasure and approval.'" Becoming the designer of the Peace Dollar and receiving considerable publicity as a result of this accomplishment greatly boosted the reputation of de Francisci, taking his career to a whole new level.
De Francisci used his wife Mary Teresa as the model for the Liberty head of the Peace Dollar. When asked about its design, de Francisci "told a newspaper columnist that the portrait was not a 'photograph' of Mrs. de Francisci but was a 'composite' face that 'typified something of America'" De Francisci also said about the design of the Peace Dollar "that his goal was to capture the spirit of the country--its intellectual speed, vigor and vitality."
Comments
WOW! Very impressive, congratulations. That is an amazing coin!
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
Great specimen and stories. Congratulations on your acquisition.
Absolutely love the matte finish on these!
Impressive pickup!
Chapeau
Wow. Impressive indeed.
Every time I see one of these I'm a little sad that the regular production coins couldn't have been struck in this relief. De Francisci didn't understand the realities of coinage the way Barber did, but he certainly sculped a beautiful design.
Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.
Young Numismatist, Coin Photographer.
Incredible. That’s a bucket list coin for sure. Congrats!
Congratulations on your new acquisition.
Your new coin is an example of how a Peace dollar should look (in a perfect world).
Had to do a few face lifts for that one I bet. 👍
WOW!
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
Wow and more wow!
Incredible
"Why waste time learning, when ignorance is instantaneous?"- Calvin and Hobbes
Congrats FF, incredible. Really cool to have acquired it 100 years later in 2022 as well.
Shes a beauty!
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That is a very special Peace Dollar.
Very nice and thanks for sharing the back story.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
Personally, I don't like Peace Dollars. I like this one!
Post #557 is a mic drop. Along with your other 556. Awe inspiring...
Tim
Amazing addition----coins like this elevate your entire collection. Congrats!
Man, I love this coin. Stunning! What a Peace Dollar to own!
Amazing. Thanks for posting.
Having held these at auction preview the photos in no way do it justice compared to what they look like in hand.
Congrats now get off the forum and ogle your newp!
@Floridafacelifter
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctionlots?AucCoId=7&AuctionId=391
In case you've not seen the 2014 Goldberg auction info, page 194 (207 in the viewer window)
Very, very wonderful 1922 matte proof Peace dollar! Congratulations on acquiring it!
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
Very cool Peace Dollar!
A small but illustrious provenance line!
Love that it was in his family and friends through 2014!
Of interest, he was Warden of the Nevada State Prison!
That is one of the most beautiful coins I've seen in a long time! What a stunning acquisition!
."It's a dangerous business... going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to" -JRR Tolkien_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Outstanding BST transactions as a seller, buyer and trader with: ----- mustanggt, Kliao, claudewill87, MWallace, paesan, mpbuck82, moursund, basetsb, lordmarcovan, JWP, Coin hunter 4, COINS MAKE CENTS, PerryHall, Aspie_Rocco, Braddick, DBSTrader2, SanctionII, Histman, The_Dinosaur_Man, jesbroken, CentSearcher ------ANA Member #3214817
Thanks for sharing your very special collection with us!!!!
I have no words.....:)
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excuse my Sailor language, but I was one
Oh. Hell! Yes!!
other four letter words could apply
Thank you for continuing to share some of the magnificent examples in your collection!
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
Nice coin. Congratulations.
You should probably scrape that ugly green sticker off the beautiful plastic.
[IT WAS A JOKE.]
What do you know those CAC stickers do peel off so easily- haha! Thanks everyone for the kind words- have a wonderful weekend!
@Floridafacelifter I'll add that it great to have it reslabbed with Baker-Simpson-@Floridafacelifter as the provenance
That is incredible! What a dream coin. It is so amazing that a forum member owns something like this!
Congrats
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
Congrats and Holy Sheet! That’s beautiful.
What’s the difference between a matte and sandblasted proof?
What a beautiful coin!
I'm not even gonna ask because if you have to ask..
Out. Standing.
--Severian the Lame
I've always preferred Matte proofs to brilliant. And that is officially my favorite peace dollar ever. I've never been a fan of the coin, but the matte proof is just outstanding. I have a whole new appreciation for the type.
Nothing, really. Although technically all sandblasted proofs are matte but all matte need not be sandblasted.
Congrats, You make Your Dreams Come True.
Awesome
Mike
My Indians
Danco Set
Congrats
I never knew these existed. Nice write up and congratulations on owning a great piece of history. (Pun intended)
"A dog breaks your heart only one time and that is when they pass on". Unknown
Wow. What a coin! Beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
Young Numismatist/collector
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Kudos, that has to one of the most beautiful and iconic stealth twentieth century presentation pieces.
Spectacular piece.
Shame they couldn’t have all been struck that well. What a conversation piece! Congrats!
Wow, that is amazing.
Holy crap!
Breathtaking coin. Congrats & thanks for sharing it with us!
"Bongo hurtles along the rain soaked highway of life on underinflated bald retread tires."
~Wayne
Not quite.
Matte proofs were made when the dies were sandblasted.
Sandblast proofs were made when the actual coin was struck as a Satin proof, and then the coin was sandblasted.
The OP coin is technically a sandblast proof, but when the coin is that amazing, who cares what the label says?
Young Numismatist, Coin Photographer.
It's crazy how many ways the mint has made coins look different. How many terms are used to describe proofs? Mirror, matte, satin, brilliant, sandblast, reverse proof, enhanced reversed proof, not to mention other special finishes, like "the other satin" that's included in mint sets, enhanced uncirculated, 1964-1968 SMS coins, the unique (?) "Roman finish" Saint Gaudens double eagle, the rare "antique finish" peace dollars, probably many others that I'm forgetting, then countless other "experimental finish coins," like the Chapman and Zerbe special strike Morgans in the same year, and the 1927 special strike buffalo nickels, and several other specially made coins from the 19th century that I can't recall that didn't qualify as proofs. Then of course, proof-like, DMPL, Cameo, and DCAM/UCAM designations. Almost forgot the official colorized coins made in recent years.
Boy, working at the mint would be so much fun, at least a hundred years ago. Just imagine blasting sand at a coin... Then having it sell for half a million dollars a century later.
Young Numismatist
I count satin, sandblast, matte, brilliant (mirror and brilliant are synonymous) , and reverse proof and its related issues, as well as enhanced uncirculated. I will also count the SMS coins of 1965-67.
Everything else in your post I wouldn't count as relating to proofs (PL, DMPL were within tolerances and not considered special to mint staff) or something I would want to see in hand myself before calling them proofs or something special.
Young Numismatist, Coin Photographer.