A crusty Peace - planchet flaw?

Mesquite

Looking at this 1926-S I noticed two things. First, a split in Liberty's chin - do you think it is post-Mint damage or, perhaps a planchet flaw? Second, in the phase "In God We" the lettering for "In" and "We" is mushy whereas the "God" is much bolder. Is this common on circulated Peace dollars or is it simply a result of the wear on this Peace dollar?

messydesk

Tough call on the split in the chin. It could be either.

What's more interesting is the bold "GOD" you stumbled across. This is a unique feature of all 1926 Peace dollars, regardless of mint. It's that way on the master die. The 1925 and 1927 coins have a more uniform appearance of the motto. While it's not unusual to periodically strengthen worn design elements, singling out one of them in this manner isn't as common. Look at the reverse and I could show you 43 letters that could have used strengthening. In a search for an explanation, back up one year to 1925, when the 1926 master dies were being prepared, and look at the big events of the year. Foremost on the list is the "Scopes Monkey Trial," wherein high school biology teacher John Scopes was tried (sort of) for teaching evolution, which violated Tennessee's constitution at the time. It is entirely possible, though not provable, that a mint engraver took the opportunity to chime in with his opinion, which is now seen on all 1926 dollars. This theory isn't mine, but was first presented almost 10 years ago by David Lange. True or not, it makes for an interesting story.

Mesquite

Interesting commentary - thanks!