The Peace dollar was born in high relief. Anthony de Francisci's design was struck that way for the entire 1921 issue, and it was beautiful and impractical in equal measure: the deep relief strained dies and struck up poorly at production speed. In early 1922 Philadelphia struck 35,401 dollars in the original high relief while the Mint wrestled with the problem, and then gave up. The relief was lowered, regular production began, and nearly every high relief 1922 went into the melting pot.
What survived is a ghost issue: a small number of coins, known in more than one finish, that represent the design as its sculptor intended it. They surface at major auctions rarely, trade at the level of the great American rarities, and every one is accounted for in certified holders. There is no such thing as a casual 1922 High Relief.
This page exists for the record, not the shopping cart. If a raw 1922 High Relief finds you, it has found many people before you, and it was not genuine for any of them either. The 1921, struck in the same high relief by the million, is how a collector actually owns this design.
| Issue | Mint | Mintage |
|---|---|---|
| 1922 Peace Dollar | Philadelphia | 51,737,000 |
| 1922 Peace Dollar (High Relief) | Philadelphia | 35,401 |
| 1922-S Peace Dollar | San Francisco | 17,475,000 |
| 1922-D Peace Dollar | Denver | 15,063,000 |
Mintage figures: United States Mint, Annual Report of the Director of the Mint, cross-checked across independent published references. Specifications: United States Mint coin specifications.