Authenticate your Peace Silver Dollar

How to spot a fake Peace Dollar

The Peace Dollar was struck from 1921 to 1935 in 90% silver, designed by Anthony de Francisci, with Liberty in a radiate crown on the obverse and a perched bald eagle on the reverse. Common dates trade close to their silver value, but key dates such as the 1921 (high relief), 1928 and 1934-S carry real collector premiums, and those are the dates counterfeiters target most.

What fakes exist

Cast fakes. Made by pouring metal into a mould taken from a genuine coin. They often show tiny pits or a grainy surface under magnification, soft details, weak or uneven reeding, and sometimes a seam line on the edge. They are frequently slightly undersized or the wrong weight.

Die-struck fakes. Made with engraved dies on a press, often in China. These can have the correct diameter and sharp details, but they are usually the wrong metal: silver-plated base metal or a copper-nickel or brass alloy. They are harder to spot by eye.

Replicas. Some are sold openly as copies. Under the US Hobby Protection Act, replicas sold in the US must be marked "COPY", but many imports omit the mark and it can be removed.

The checks, in order

1. Weight

A genuine Peace Dollar weighs 26.73 g. Use a scale that reads to 0.01 g.

• Circulated coins lose a little silver to wear, so a well-worn coin can weigh slightly less. A coin that is clearly heavier than 26.73 g, or more than a few tenths of a gram light without heavy wear, deserves suspicion.
• Plated base-metal fakes are often noticeably off.
• A correct weight does not prove the coin is genuine. Good die-struck fakes can be close.

2. Diameter and thickness

Measure with digital calipers and compare with the facts box on this page (38.1 mm diameter). Cast fakes can come out slightly small because metal shrinks as it cools. Die-struck fakes often get the diameter right, so check thickness too: a fake made from a lighter metal has to be thicker to reach the right weight.

3. Obverse details

Use a 10x loupe.

• Hair: fine, flowing strands, not mushy or blobby.
• Crown rays: sharp and well defined.
• Lettering: "LIBERTY", "IN GOD WE TRUST" and the date should be crisp and evenly spaced, with digit styles that match genuine coins of that year.
• Surface: pitting, porosity or a grainy texture across the fields points to a cast fake.

4. Reverse details

• Eagle: wing and tail feathers should show separate feathers, not solid lumps.
• "PEACE": on the rock under the eagle, cleanly struck.
• Legends: "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA", "E PLURIBUS UNUM" and "ONE DOLLAR" should be sharp and correctly spaced.
• Rays: even and unbroken behind the eagle.
• Mint mark: Philadelphia coins have none; Denver (D) and San Francisco (S) coins have a small letter on the reverse, below "ONE" near the tip of the eagle's wing. Check it is the right size, style and position, and look for signs it was added or tooled.

5. Edge

The edge is reeded. Reeds should be even and sharply defined all the way round. Shallow, uneven or smeared reeding, or a seam line around the middle of the edge, are common signs of a cast fake.

6. Magnet

Silver is not magnetic. Hold a strong neodymium magnet near the coin. Any attraction means steel or iron inside, and the coin is fake. A coin that ignores the magnet has only passed a basic check, since copper, brass and many other fake metals are not magnetic either.

7. Ping test

A 90% silver coin gives a clear, sustained ring when balanced on a fingertip and tapped gently with another coin. Many base-metal fakes sound duller and die away faster. The ping test at the top of this page listens for the coin's resonant frequencies and compares them with a genuine Peace Dollar.

It is a strong check, not a final verdict. Background noise, how the coin is held, heavy wear, damage or a capsule can throw it off, and some fakes may not be caught. If the result disagrees with your other checks, test again in a quiet room with the coin out of its holder.

8. Ice test and specific gravity

Silver conducts heat very well, so an ice cube placed on a genuine silver coin melts noticeably faster than on most base metals. It is a rough indicator, best done side by side with a coin you know is genuine.

A specific gravity test (weighing the coin in air and in water) gives a better reading of the metal's density. 90% silver should come out at roughly 10.3. A result well away from that points to the wrong metal.

Date and variety tells

• 1921 high relief: only the 1921 coins were struck in high relief; from 1922 the relief was lowered. A 1921 with low-relief design, or a later date in high relief, is wrong. (Rare 1922 high-relief patterns and proofs exist, but you are very unlikely to meet one outside a major auction.)
• Dates that were never issued for circulation: regular Peace Dollars were struck in 1921 to 1928 and again in 1934 and 1935. Coins dated 1929 to 1933, or a "1964-D" (the 1964-D Peace Dollars that were struck were all reported melted), should be treated as fakes or fantasy pieces.
• Date and mint mark combinations: not every date was struck at every mint. For example, there is no 1921-D or 1921-S Peace Dollar. Check the combination against a reference such as the PCGS or NGC price guides before paying a premium.
• The 2021 Peace Dollar: the US Mint issued a modern Peace Dollar in 2021 in .999 fine silver. It is a genuine coin but a different composition, so don't compare it with the facts for the 1921 to 1935 series.

Graded coins

PCGS and NGC graded coins in sealed holders have already been examined by experts, which makes them a safer choice for key dates. Fake slabs do exist, so look up the certificate number on the grader's website (PCGS, NGC) and check that the coin and grade in the database match the one in front of you.

If you suspect a fake

1. Stop. Don't buy it, and if you already own it, don't sell or trade it on.
2. Repeat the checks: weigh it again, measure it, and run the ping test in a quiet room.
3. Compare with a Peace Dollar you know is genuine, if you have one.
4. Take it to a reputable coin dealer, or send key dates to PCGS or NGC for authentication. A dealer with an XRF analyser can also check the surface metal.
5. If you bought it, contact the seller with your evidence and ask for a refund.

Related guides

• Morgan Dollar
• 1 oz Silver American Eagle