2023 Peace Dollar MS70

History

Anthony de Francisci's Peace dollar design, struck for circulation from 1921 to 1935, returned in 2021 for the centennial of its debut, and the Mint issued no dollars of either revived type in 2022. For 2023 the program resumed with Philadelphia Uncirculated and San Francisco Proof and Reverse Proof coins sold by subscription through the Mint's website. Production of the Uncirculated 2023 Peace dollars at Philadelphia included 200 pieces struck on July 10 by Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson, each packaged with a certificate of authenticity imprinted "Director's Strike / 2023 / Peace Dollar / Philadelphia" and a separate "Congratulations!" card. Those 200 coins were not offered as a separate product but were distributed at random inside ordinary Mint shipments, and the First Day of Issue designation identifies the small portion of them submitted to grading within the opening window.

Details

The obverse and reverse follow de Francisci's 1921 work. The modern coin is struck from .999 fine silver rather than the .900 silver alloy used from 1921 to 1935, weighs 26.73 grams with a silver content reported at 0.858 to 0.859 troy ounce, measures 38.1 millimeters in diameter and has a reeded edge. Sales of each 2023 Morgan and Peace dollar product were individually restricted to 275,000 coins, with a household ordering limit of three coins per product. The Uncirculated Peace dollars were struck at the Philadelphia Mint without a mint mark, and only 200 of them carry the Director's Strike provenance.

Features

The obverse shows Liberty in profile wearing a radiant crown with LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and the date. The reverse presents an eagle at rest holding an olive branch above PEACE, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM and ONE DOLLAR; on mint-marked Peace dollars the mint mark appears above the tips of the eagle's wings, an area left blank on this Philadelphia issue. What distinguishes the Director's Strike First Day of Issue coin is the holder rather than the die work, since the 200 pieces are physically identical to the rest of the Uncirculated production. Both major grading services maintained extensive slates of labels and designations for the 2023 dollars, and PCGS tracks the Director's Strike First Day of Issue combination as its own entry with the number 926931.

Notable facts

• Because the attribution depends on paperwork rather than anything on the coin, PCGS encapsulated the hand-signed certificate of authenticity and the Congratulations certificate alongside at least one graded example.
• Certificates of authenticity were individually numbered out of 200, with one recorded example marked 197 of 200.
• The Mint has not reported any Uncirculated 2023 Morgan dollars among the coins Director Gibson struck, leaving the Peace dollar as the only denomination in the promotion.
• Mintage limits announced for the other 2023 dollars were 275,000 for the Philadelphia Morgan Uncirculated, 400,000 for the San Francisco Morgan Proof and 250,000 for the San Francisco Morgan Reverse Proof.
• The 2023 Reverse Proof Peace dollar was the first Peace dollar struck with that finish.