The peace dollar is my favorite coin by a mile. I recently purchased 20 online and went to work with my scale and digital calipers. Here's what I found: Out of 20 coins the lowest weight was 26.5g and the highest was 26.7 The diameters ranged between 38.02 and 38.12 The thickness ranged between 2.46 and 2.75mm with most falling somewhere between 2.55 and 2.67. Visibly one can easily distinguish the thinner ones from the fatter ones. My question is this: If these all rolled out of the mint @ 2.4 or 2.47mm thickness, how over time did they gain in this measurement? Thank you.
The weight and diameter measurements seem to be within tolerance, but I can't find for sure what they are. Where was the thickness measured? Rim, center, what?
I'm not really asking about the specific authenticity of my coins, but rather bringing into view that there is little readily available data on the + or - tolerances of the Peace Dollar.
I don't trust that my local dealer has more information than I do. When you buy raw coins that all make a nice high ping sound, aren't magnetic, but have a thin layer of dirt or grime or film, How then do you check luster and detail? You don't want to clean them and ruin the future value. The tolerances should be made available as a guide by the us mint to discourage counterfeits.
Any published tolerances on specs would apply only to the coin as made, since no Mint can give specs on what happens after the coin enters circulation. Thus, any specs are for Mint State coins only.
US CODE: Title 31,5113. US Code:Title 31,5113 only has specified weight and diameter, as the depth of the coin can vary due to striking pressure. For the Peace dollar ( except the 1964D), the weight is 26.73 grams +/- .097 grams, Diameter is ( 1 1/2 inches) 38.1 mm reeded edge. The 64D is given by Breen as 26.73 +/- .39 grams. Jim
No. I think what we are establishing here is that my description indicates a typical batch of peace dollars due to the varying thicknesses created during the minting process. I think is the consensus here that thickness is not a critical measurement in determining the authenticity of a peace dollar.
I found an old book for peace dollars from the 1960's. I tried to put some peace dollars in it none would fit. Morgans all fit fine. The book was in perfect shape when I started, the tape came off one page and I bent one trying to get a peace dollar in the hole. So the peace must have been bigger around too. They were all circulated coins, so I'm pretty sure they were not Chinise rip-offs, as some were well circulated.
The amount of wear probably accounted for the weight difference in these. I think if it's not less than 26.3 grams, it is acceptable to assume that wieght was lost during its circulating life.
Thickness, especially at the rim is variable depending on the strength of the strike. The higher the striking pressure the thicker the coin is at the rim because the rim is able to more fully strike up. The specs and tolerances that DesertGem provided are correct. and they are the same specs for the Morgan dollars.
