

Peace Silver Dollars are some of the rarest coins minted in the last century and are valuable because of their rich history and high silver content.Īfter the end of World War I, silver prices began to fall and on May 9, 1921, Congress passed legislation requiring the release of a new Silver Dollar that would have "an appropriate design commemorative of the termination of the war between the Imperial German Government and the Government of the People of the United States." Congress adjourned without approving the new coin's design, so production of Morgan Silver Dollars was restarted until the new design was created. Was it a stance on what was happening at the time and related to the famous Scoped Trial of the time? Or just a coincidence? No one really knows, but it makes for a truly unique and scarce variant of the famed Peace Dollar series. The perfect catalyst for a Mint® employee to modify the word GOD on the master die to make it stand out. Mint® was getting ready to start minting the 1926 coinage.

Remember, this national coverage was going on right before the U.S. The trial attracted national attention as the nation saw this trial as religion vs evolution.

This did not go unnoticed and Scopes was arrested and charged with violating the Butler Act. A teacher named John Scopes challenged this law by teaching evolution in his classroom. In Tennessee it was illegal to teach evolution in publicly funded schools, called the Butler Act. Perhaps a sign from God? Historians think it was most likely a rouge Mint® employee who modified the 1926 master die.ĭuring 1925 the famous Scopes Trial was going on. No one knows for sure how or why this change was made but someone modified the master die for the 1926 on purpose. This was no accident since releases prior to 1926 and after 1926 didn't have this modification. The 1926 Peace Dollar is the only year in the series where the word GOD has a higher relief than any other word on the coin.
