1922 Peace Dollar, High Relief, Matte Proof : A Collector’s Guide

The 1921 High Relief Peace dollar was produced from December 28 to December 31, 1921. United States Mint Chief Engraver George T. Morgan anticipated that the Mint would continue to strike dollar coins using the high relief dies in 1922 and prepared dies for that purpose. Concurrent to that, Morgan also prepared a few dies for Proof strikings using a 1921-dated hub and modifying the last digit of the date.

Further changes were made to the hair, rays, and lettering. The lettering was modified to give it a more rounded appearance. This is most noticeable in the rounded top of the letter A’s appearing on the reverse.

Numismatists believe that the Philadelphia Mint struck a small number of 1922 High Relief Proofs during the last week of December 1921, or before January 8, 1922.

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Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

• PCGS PR-67: Raymond T. Baker, 1917-1922; Goldberg Auctioneers, June 2014, Lot 1344.
• NGC PF-67 MATTE #1727946-051: Auction ’85, Paramount, July 1985, Lot 1277; Superior, October 1990, Lot 3835; “The Knoxville Collection,” Heritage Auctions, July 2003, Lot 9054; “The Greensboro Collection, Part V” Heritage Auctions, January 9, 2014, Lot 5347 – $329,000.
• NGC PF-66 MATTE #1274863-002: “The Robert Moreno Registry Collection of Peace Dollars,” Heritage Auctions, April 7, 2006, Lot 1240 – $126,500; “The Joseph C. Thomas Collection, Part One,” Heritage Auctions, April 30, 2009, Lot 2658 – $161,000.
• PCGS PR-66 #25229755: “The Frontenac Collection,” Bowers and Merena, November 1991, Lot 2249; “The Long Beach Connoisseur Collection,” Bowers and Merena, August 1999, Lot 300; “The Benson Collection,” Goldberg Auctioneers, February 2001, Lot 2245; Goldberg Auctioneers, January 2004, Lot 2841. As PCGS PR-66 #25229755. Stack’s Bowers, May 2015, Lot 48 – Passed.
• NGC PF-66 #1634739-001: B. Max Mehl. Mehl to Norwebs, by sale, April 28, 1937. “The Norweb Collection, Part III”, Bowers and Merena, November 1988, Lot 3931 – $46,200. Heritage Auctions, April 25, 2002, Lot 4354 – $51,750.
• PCGS PR-64 CAC #83411977: “The Lindesmith Collection,” Bowers and Merena, March 2000, Lot 2217 – $36,800. Superior, March 2001, Lot 407. As PCGS PR-64 CAC #83411977. “The Siegal Collection,” Heritage Auctions, April 27, 2017, Lot 4193 – $158,625; As PCGS PR-64 CAC #39840332. “The Monterey Bay Collection,” Heritage Auctions, January 21, 2021, Lot 4051 – $198,000. Speckled surfaces.

• NGC PF61 #2049291-001: As NGC PF-61 #3863310-006. Rick Harrison (Pawn Stars) for $80,000. Coin featured on a Pawn Stars episode that aired on December 23, 2014 (video above). A customer in a red shirt brings the coin to Harrison and claims that he won it in a poker game. Harrison agrees to buy the coin for $80,000. As NGC PF61 #2049291-001. Heritage Auctions, January 7, 2015, Lot 4211 – $99,875. Pawn Stars “On Air Collection” novelty insert.
• PCGS PR UNC Detail #46595995: Heritage Auctions, February 9, 2023, Lot 3785 – $144,000. Altered Surfaces.

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Coin Specifications

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