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The Official 1921 Peace Dollar Thread. 1921-2021: A century of beauty

WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

Post your 1921 Peace Dollars. Everything from AG raw pieces to engraved pieces to those stellar uncirculated examples.
Let's have a year-long celebration of 100 years of one of the most interesting varieties of American numismatics!

VAM-1H: Business strike struck with the satin proof dies:

We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
--Severian the Lame

Comments

  • mark_dakmark_dak Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I always have a tough time getting the grade right on this series. Weak strikes make it hard to be consistent in ciming up with a grade.

  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Some really pretty examples!

    I hope those with lower grades will post, too. The Peace dollar was one of the new school coins of the early 20th century, along with the Buffalo, Walker, and even the Lincoln cent, whose design changes but doesn't really worsen with wear.

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • ashelandasheland Posts: 22,612 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Great thread!

  • bramn8rbramn8r Posts: 721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My favorite coin!

  • CryptoCrypto Posts: 3,368 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have had dozens of these over the years but currently own none not even a raw slick which I have had a few of too. I have been looking for an attractive Vam 3 in an older holder for about 4 years now with no luck. There are some very attractive examples on here of an issue that isn't always that great looking. I have seen more than a few terminally toned examples.

  • ashelandasheland Posts: 22,612 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I’m picky. I’ve passed on several 63’s and even a 65 that didn’t seem to be all there, I really want a solid 64 or 65...

    I did buy this raw example cheap.
    I love the 21 peace dollars!

  • JimnightJimnight Posts: 10,767 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 13, 2021 4:45AM

    Nice coins!

  • kazkaz Posts: 9,052 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have 3 of them, first a raw eBay purchase from when I first started collecting, with some hairlines in the right obv field; next an AU58; and last a raw one from the BST, from one 70/70 to my 70/70.





  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BryceM said:
    Great thread. I'll add photos when I get home from work (and away from the Internet firewall we have here.)

    >
    Very cool, @BryceM. Exactly what I was hoping for. The beauty of this particular issue changes but remains as it wears and circulates!

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • CryptoCrypto Posts: 3,368 ✭✭✭✭✭
  • koynekwestkoynekwest Posts: 10,048 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Crypto said:
    I have had dozens of these over the years but currently own none not even a raw slick which I have had a few of too. I have been looking for an attractive Vam 3 in an older holder for about 4 years now with no luck. There are some very attractive examples on here of an issue that isn't always that great looking. I have seen more than a few terminally toned examples.

    I have a VAM 3 in PCGS 62. I cherrypicked it around 20 years ago.

  • CryptoCrypto Posts: 3,368 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @koynekwest said:

    @Crypto said:
    I have had dozens of these over the years but currently own none not even a raw slick which I have had a few of too. I have been looking for an attractive Vam 3 in an older holder for about 4 years now with no luck. There are some very attractive examples on here of an issue that isn't always that great looking. I have seen more than a few terminally toned examples.

    I have a VAM 3 in PCGS 62. I cherrypicked it around 20 years ago.

    Yah I was plucking them left and right in the early 2000s, from VFs all the way up to multiple 64s. And then overnight they dried up. I know they are out there and their hair is almost always week so they are semi out of vogue currently like most Peace VAMs. If you want to move your 62 I am but a reasonable PM away

  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Is that one available, @Zoins ? a 2 ouncer?

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 33,811 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 13, 2021 8:58AM

    @Weiss said:
    Is that one available, @Zoins ? a 2 ouncer?

    Yes and yes.

    It looks quite amazing to me, especially the hair detail.

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I really like the 1921 Peace Dollar. Two or three years ago, I was searching for one.... Just never found the right combination of luster, detail, surface etc.. Then got distracted.... This thread may have reenergized me.... I know the 'one' is out there.... Cheers, RickO

  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @ricko said:

    This thread may have reenergized me.... I know the 'one' is out there.... Cheers, RickO

    Same here, @ricko . Got me to thinking it's been some time since I last tried to re-image the "Ice Queen" above.

    Here's my latest attempt, taking advantage of the bright day with snow on the ground:

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Weiss....She is worthy of the term 'Ice Queen'.... a real beauty. Cheers, RickO

  • PortrossPortross Posts: 80 ✭✭✭

    I have several, this is my first.

  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I see very few in rattler slabs, @Portross . That's a nice one!

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • airplanenutairplanenut Posts: 21,881 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Quite pleased with my example (PCGS MS64)


    JK Coin Photography - eBay Consignments | High Quality Photos | LOW Prices | 20% of Consignment Proceeds Go to Pancreatic Cancer Research
  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wow, @airplanenut. Not too many rainbow toned peace dollars out there. Can't be more than a few 1921s.

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • coinsarefuncoinsarefun Posts: 21,664 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Zoins said:
    This one is from Mark Bogani and Tony Grat:

    .
    .
    I really like these!
    It’s probably to late but these 2 ouncers would have made a serious set.
    To buy it second time around will cost a bunch.

  • erwindocerwindoc Posts: 4,925 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I picked this one out of a pile of junk silver a couple of years ago! Yes, it has a bit of damage, but for under $20, I could not pass it up! Looks great in my album and Im currently trying to find lightly circulated coins to match!


  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    LOVE It, @erwindoc ! That's exactly the kind of stuff I wanted to see. I bet more 1921 peace dollars were pocket piece'd, holed, engraved, etc. than any other in the series.

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Goldbully 's post about an NGC 64 '21 Peace selling for strong money seems to echo the sentiment that this is a break-out year for the 1921 Peace dollar. It stands to reason as it's the 100th anniversary with the possibility of a commem making its way to us later in the year.

    I can't help but wonder if there might be something more to it. So I just checked the pops for our hosts and ATS.

    The numbers look like this:
    PCGS: 21,231
    NGC: 16,675

    Total: 37,906

    That's across all grades, and obviously includes resubmissions, which I feel are probably higher than most issues.

    In other words, there are only about 38,000 graded 1921 Peace dollars available for all of the collectors in the world, across all grades. And that number could be significantly lower due to resubmissions. Now if you look at only MS examples, the numbers drops by 10,000 to about 25,000 examples.

    Compare that to two other "rarities" of the same era:

    1916-D Mercury Dime
    PCGS: 9328
    NGC: 5231
    Total: 14,559

    1914-D Lincoln Cent
    PCGS: 9863
    NGC: 5838
    Total: 15,701

    The raw numbers suggest the 1921 Peace isn't quite on the same level of scarcity as the 1916-D or the 1914-D, with roughly twice as many examples out there.

    Still, with a maximum of 38,000 graded examples, of which only 25,000 are MS graded examples, and both figures likely skewed higher by significant resubmissions, I believe the 1921 Peace is actually quite scarce.

    Agree or disagree?

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • SPalladinoSPalladino Posts: 831 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Interesting presentation, @Weiss - thank you.

    Another interesting analytic:
    NGC graded pop 16,675, details pop 16,497
    ANACS graded pop 5,950, details pop 5,733
    I cannot find this data in the PCGS pop report.

    So, about equal number of graded vs details for the 1921 Pease Dollar at two services. And, this 50:50 does not apply to other date/MM issues within the series, where graded typically exceeds details by a handy margin. These data suggest that the 1921 Peace dollar a) has a relative high prevalence of cleaning, graffiti, etc, and/or b) is submitted more commonly despite pre-submission awareness of details for various reasons.

    Steve Palladino
    - Ike Group member
    - DIVa (Designated Ike Varieties) Project co-lead and attributor
  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Excellent analysis, @SPalladino . I've seen so many details graded 1921 Peace dollars that I don't doubt these figures at all.

    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,430 ✭✭✭✭✭


    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • BryceMBryceM Posts: 11,722 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Interesting comments about scarcity. I’ll just go out on a limb and say there are many, many MS 1921 coins that have never been to a grading service. Almost every B&M has a handful in flips and a few of these are actually pretty nice coins. There are also many others still running around in the wild. I think they’re still “out there” in a way that 16-D and 14-Ds are not.

    Above MS64 or so the story is probably different.

  • CryptoCrypto Posts: 3,368 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The 22 Hr is a dream coin of mine

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