1924-S Peace Silver Dollar

The story of the 1924-S

Production at San Francisco fell off a cliff in 1924. Only 1,728,000 were made, against 19 million the year before. That drop is why the 1924-S is the one people look for. The next year it made 1.6 million (1925-S).

The other mint made far more that year: 1924 alone came to 12 million, roughly 6.8 for every 1924-S. If you're checking a pile of 1924 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1928-S (1,632,000) and the 1925-S (1,610,000).

San Francisco struck the Peace Silver Dollar in 9 issues between 1922 and 1935. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1927-S (866,000). Within the 1920s it's 8th smallest of 19, between the 1928-S (1.6 million) and the 1926 (1.9 million).

More on the 1924-S

San Francisco struck only 1,728,000 Peace dollars in 1924, a fraction of Philadelphia's 11,811,000. It's one of the scarcer dates of the series and gets noticeably tougher the higher the grade. The figure was also a steep fall from San Francisco's 19,020,000 the year before, with Denver making no dollars at all in 1924.

In worn condition the 1924-S is affordable for most collectors. Uncirculated coins carry a real collector premium, while gems are seldom seen, since most survivors show a soft strike at the center and plenty of bag marks. That's why a crisp, original 1924-S is worth having graded. Look at the S under magnification before anything else. Mint marks added to common Philadelphia coins are a known trick with better San Francisco dates, so the S should match the style and depth of a genuine one and sit naturally in the field. Worn pieces sell above metal value; a clean uncirculated coin is the prize.

Pittman Act coinage winds down (1923 to 1928)

Peace dollars continued in large numbers to replace the coins melted under the Pittman Act, with Philadelphia striking 30.8 million in 1923. Output fell after that year. San Francisco's 1924-S and 1925-S, each under two million, are scarce in high grades. Denver made no dollars in 1924 or 1925.

The 1927 issues from all three mints are relatively scarce. The 1928 from Philadelphia, with only 360,649 struck, is the lowest mintage of the series and is often confused with the more common 1928-S. Pittman purchases were complete in 1928 and coinage stopped. San Francisco dollars of these years are often softly struck. Many survivors show heavy bag marks from storage in Treasury vaults. Bags of Peace dollars also emerged in the Treasury releases of the early 1960s.