What is so unique about this 1921 peace dollar?
KollectorKing
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KollectorKing
Posts: 4,820 ✭✭✭✭✭
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The low grade.
It's a clean coin, with a better than average strike. It's also blast white.
Man...........what a nice coin!
Pete
Indeed a nice example!
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I think when NGC and PCGS grade 21 Peace $ there's a target hanging on the wall and they just throw a dart and wherever it hits - thats the grade.
This coin has a much better strike than my NGC 65 CAC example.
Its probably the nicest 63 Ive ever seen and worth a premium
Well, I read about the Breen letter and all that in the Heritage archives. I don’t think you’ll find universal agreement that his assessment was correct. It’s a nicely struck coin for sure.
If it was universally accepted that this was a satin proof coin it would have sold for many multiples of what it did.
When you compare it to other ‘21 coins in proof holders there is a clear distinction in hair, lettering, and sharpness of other design elements.
What Buff said.
To be honest, nothing unusual. Detail is above average but not among the best. Surfaces look nice. Should bring a premium price for the stated 'grade.'
Well.........I agree.
She has a "bubble cheek" though.......and that is IMHOP the indicator of a really good strike.
Pete
Good strike, looks nice!
Collector, occasional seller
land to right of peace is well defined
Best place to buy !
Bronze Associate member
Just from the photo, it's a well struck coin, but is the luster somewhat impaired as if it had been over dipped?
Pete
Louis Armstrong
I cannot magnify the image but I've learned that virtually any time you see a "gem" looking coin like this that appears to be under graded, its surfaces are continuously hairlined.
GREAT COLOR, above average strike, indeed a great example for a 63.
A beautiful piece no matter what the grade. I agree with the Dartboard grading tactics. The problem is it doesn’t work. Buy the coin in this case at 63 money if possible.
Edited to say it is housed in a old dove grey holder and my opinion is pcgs was a bit tougher in those days grading. Of course this is my opinion that I kinda live by.
Happy hunting, Joe
The real issue with this coin is that it has sold twice at Heritage alongside a letter from Breen testifying that it is a satin proof. While I may be wrong, I think that’s the point of the thread. To me, it’s just a 21 with above average strike and uninteresting surfaces.
To those who difficulty understanding 1921 Peace grading, focus more on the luster. It’s different for this issue than other Peace dollars.
I’ve gotta day the strike is showing some serious detail on Miss Liberty’s hair above her ear and around her ear. Looks way above average to me as most are kinda mushy.
Compare the hair, cheek, and especially the sharpness of the lettering to the detail on this coin which sold in 2009 in an NGC PR64 holder for a bit over $40k:
@BryceM said: "The real issue with this coin is that it has sold twice at Heritage alongside a letter from Breen testifying that it is a satin proof. While I may be wrong, I think that’s the point of the thread. To me, it’s just a 21 with above average strike and uninteresting surfaces."
AFAIK, sometime after Breen's death the "diagnostic" die polish found on Proofs was published. I should think the graders at PCGS have access to that info and have decided the coin is not a Proof.
While that might be true, you don’t need die markers to know the difference. True proofs have an entirely different level of sharpness.
@BryceM said: "While that might be true, you don’t need die markers to know the difference. True proofs have an entirely different level of sharpness."
LOL, whatever. Then Breen was correct, the coin is a Proof! Oh, and what about all those Proof Shield nickels too. Sure is lucky for us that the Mint says only Proofs were produced in those years.
PS Fortunately, this is not the 1960's & 70's. As you know, back then, if a well struck Type coin had a mirror surface it was sold as a Proof.
PPS It looks like the NGC Proof you posted has the diagnostic die polish.
PPPS Lot's of funny stuff happened at the mint.
I like it
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Apparently you extrapolated my statement to imply that die markers are never useful to identify proofs. I didn’t say that. With the 21 Peace you don’t need them! That’s all.
According to PCGS it's a MS63...not a SPR. It's a nice coin.
I'm an extrapolator. I need die markers. Often there is big difference in price between an MS coin and a PR.
Great discussion. Thanks for you input.
The coin came with this:
It sold for $1,320.
Nice plastic holder. Usually they come with a movie star's photo in the frame.
$1,320 is about $900 over the coin's reasonable value, in my opinion. But, so long as the buyer is happy it does not matter.
IMO.. That letter don't mean anything. Why not send the coin to PCGS with the letter and see what they say.
Two comments:
1. The Walter Breen letter is meaningless, but that does not mean that it might not be correct.
2. That's a dang clean coin. I make no declaration of its status, but I could see it being a Specimen strike of some kind. If I owned it I would pursue the question.
TD
Settle down there sparky
. Slow it down a few notches, double space it LOL.
I have two 1921 Peace dollars. I like my ANACS MS62 over my NGC MS63. Here is my MS62- I bought this one because of the detail on hair...doesn't look as mushy as the bad hair day example I have.
@crazyhounddog said: "Settle down there sparky
. Slow it down a few notches, double space it LOL."
Can't help it. Two other discussions with two different coin types showing two different characteristics are being combined and I'm going NUTSO! I think I need a break.
Here's my funky 21
Regarding what the Capt’n said, that’s interesting to consider. There are a number of unusual things surrounding the early days of the Peace dollar. There are straightforward proofs, a huge number of business strikes, and a hodge-podge of other stuff that is interesting for one reason or another. Roger’s research and book goes through this in great detail. I haven’t reviewed it in a while but it might be true that a number of undocumented “guinea pig” coins were produced as they were ramping up production and trying to deal with the high-relief striking issues. I imagine they were just trying to get the #*%! things made during the last few working days of the year. A few of the earliest attempts may have been double-struck and counted in the final tally. Some of the minutia we obsess over was just another day in the salt mines for them.
Lots of nice '21's here.... I have been lazy the last two weeks, and slacked off my search... got to get back to it now... and since it is snowing outside - AND VERY COLD - I will scan the sites today.... Might get lucky.
Cheers, RickO
It's super tough finding this issue with a decent strike - on both sides. Here is my humble 64, with a 'bubbly' cheek:
10-4,
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My registry sets
My only 1921
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@ElmerFusterpuck IMHO your 1921 peace dollar is better than a 64!
Here is one of my favorite 1921's. The strike on this one is a bit above average. Pretty clean coin. If it wasn't for some very, very small hair line on the obverse I would imagine it would grade much higher.
Many of the 1921 Peace dollars that went out in early January came back within a few weeks - there was little demand except from curiosity seekers.
In the mid-1930s 700,000 1921's were still n Philadelphia Mint vaults.
[Correction - the quantity should be able 154,000 1921s.]
Yep.......agreed..........there was a post WWI recession going on at the time.
Pete