1927-S Peace Silver Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 866,000 made
- Mintage
- 866,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 26.73 g
- Diameter
- 38.1 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1927-S Peace Silver Dollar worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face and above their metal value. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1927-S Peace Silver Dollar rare?
- Somewhat. 866,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1927-S Peace Silver Dollar silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.7735 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1927 Peace Silver Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the word ONE, near the tip of the eagle's wing. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1927 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no San Francisco issue had a smaller mintage than the 1927-S.
- How many 1927-S Peace Silver Dollar coins were made?
- 866,000.
What to check on your 1927-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1927 (848,000 made).
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Judge the grade under good light. Wear appears first on the hair above Liberty's ear and on the eagle's wing feathers.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more.
The story of the 1927-S
Production at San Francisco fell off a cliff in 1927. Only 866,000 were made, against 7 million the year before. That drop is why the 1927-S is the one people look for. In 1928 the figure was 1.6 million.
1927 came to 848,000 and 1927-D came to 1.3 million, so neither mint's 1927 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1934 (954,057) and the 1921 (1,006,473).
Of the 9 Peace Silver Dollars San Francisco struck between 1922 and 1935, this is the scarcest. Within the 1920s it's 3rd smallest of 19, between the 1927 (848,000) and the 1921 (1 million).
More on the 1927-S
San Francisco's 866,000 coins of 1927 came within 18,000 of Philadelphia's 848,000, making them the two smallest issues of that year. Denver, at 1,268,900, struck the most. For San Francisco it was a big step down from the 6,980,000 of 1926. The branch made only 1,632,000 the following year before stopping for six years.
The 1927-S is scarce in all uncirculated grades and a real condition rarity at the top, with many survivors showing flat strikes in the center of the coin or dull, baggy surfaces. In circulated grades it's more affordable, so a nice Very Fine or Extremely Fine example is a sensible target for a date set. Check that the S below ONE is clear and sits naturally in the field. Worn coins trade above metal value. An uncirculated 1927-S with good luster carries a collector premium, while a gem with a full strike is a significant rarity. Collectors who can't stretch to an uncirculated coin often find a problem-free About Uncirculated example the best value.
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.
How to recognize it
Anthony de Francisci's Liberty faces left wearing a crown of light rays, with LIBERTY above and the date below. The reverse shows an eagle at rest on a mountaintop, holding an olive branch, as the sun rises behind it, with the word PEACE on the rock. The mint mark is below the word ONE, near the tip of the eagle's wing.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Peace Silver Dollar (1921–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1927 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 866,000 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 26.73 grams |
| Diameter | 38.1 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.7735 troy oz (24.057 g) |
| Designer | Anthony de Francisci |
Other 1927 Peace Silver Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 Peace Silver Dollar | 848,000 | Circulation strike | 0.7735 oz |
| 1927-D Peace Silver Dollar | 1,268,900 | Circulation strike | 0.7735 oz |
| 1927-S Peace Silver Dollar | 866,000 | Circulation strike | 0.7735 oz |
Mintage: Peace dollar (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.