Common 22-D Peace die crack?

[DonHeath]

Lately I've been looking at Peace dollar pics trying to make sure I understand how the various kinds of luster photograph, but I keep running across this die break on 22-D's. Apparently this particular obverse die produced pretty nice coins. The first two coins are sisters. The third link is a different break in the same region (lower left from neck toward 8:00). Is this break very common, or just coincidental?

 

22-D PCGS 64

22-D NGC 65

22-D NGC 64

[dakra]

Don,

When I was collecting Peace Dollars, I came across that very same die crack a few times but I'm not certain if it is limited to the 1922-D's as I have a 1922 (p) sitting here with the same die crack, I could also swear that I have seen it on other dates as well. I just happened to post the exact same message on the PCGS board last year... Here's The Link.

 

Thanks,

Dave

[DonHeath]

Dave, thanks for the link. Looks like it was enough to make both of us curious. You just got there way ahead of me.

[Wihlborg]

Don,

 

I have seen this obverse die crack on a number of ’22 D Peace dollars. In fact, I have a ’22 D Peace dollar that has this die crack, as well as another large die crack in the right field extending down from the Y in liberty to S in trvst on the obverse. Here is a quick photo of it.

 

John

[DonHeath]

John, that's a great picture. It looks like yours (lower left obv.) extends all the way to the rim, and the one on the right obv. is huge. Thanks for the pic.

 

Don

[Wihlborg]

Hi Don,

 

Yes, the die crack in the left obverse travels in an arc from the rim to a point a little through Miss Liberty’s lower neck. The die crack in the right obverse is at least as dramatic as the other. While I have seen other ‘22d Peace dollars with the left obverse die crack, I have never seen another ‘22d Peace dollar with the right obverse die crack, although I am sure there must be others with it.

 

John

[dakra]

Don,

I have to admit... it's kind of nice to answer a question instead of asking them all the time. The die crack intrigued me and although it is rather common, I'm keeping mine to remind me of the Peace Dollar collection I let get away. I don't think I will ever have as nice a set but I will most likely put another one together in the near future.

 

Dave

[TomB]

I don't know much about Peace dollar die cracks but I can tell you that on silver Washington quarters there are very common cracks. On the obverse there is one that gives Washington a cracked skull by shearing through the top of his head and on the reverse there is one that moves as an arc right through the eagle's wings. I have always attributed these to having ocurred at areas of weakness in the die during the strike.

[Peace_Fan]

Die cracks are common on all Peace dollars produced by the Denver mint, but are most normal on 1922 and 1923 issues. Unlike the San Francisco mint, the Denver mint was determined to produce coins that were fully struck, so they increased the striking pressure to the point where dies would crack. They also had to produce a certain number of coins per die set, so they would continue minting coins after the cracks occurred. Most of the die cracks I've seen occur in the same locations as the ones shown earlier in this thread.

 

The goodness from this is that the Denver issues are in fact more fully struck than the Philadelphia and San Francisco issues. Fully struck Peace dollars are one of the most beautiful coins ever produced, in my biased opinion, of course.

 

I have at least one of each Denver issue in my collection with a visible die crack. I don't find them particularly attractive, but they're part of the Peace dollar history....