The Peace Silver Dollar was designed by Anthony de Francisci, who at the young age of 34 had only created models for the Maine Centennial Commemorative Half Dollar. His wife Teresa was his privileged model. Teresa recounted a childhood day while immigrating to America; the boat passed the Statue of Liberty and she proudly struck Lady Liberty’s pose, and frequently continued to do so. Her heart was broken when she was overlooked to play Lady Liberty for a school function. Modeling for the Peace Dollar was her childhood dream coming true.
The Peace Silver Dollar is a highly collectible coin due to its unique place in history. In 1921, it was commissioned as a “victory coin” to commemorate the end of World War I. Over 108 million of these coins were minted between 1921 and 1928. At the time, these coins were used as currency. The coin was retired in 1928. However, later legislation brought the Peace Silver Dollar back in 1934 for two years. The coins were designed based on the Morgan Silver Dollar. It is said that this coin’s beauty promoted hoarding by the banks, who preferred to hold these as collateral instead of other options.