The 1925 silver dollar, also commonly called the Peace Dollar is the fifth mint in the series. Determining the value of a 1925 silver dollar coin will depend on the coin’s grade.
To properly grade a coin like the 1925 silver dollar you must be made aware of the four major grading mechanics, these include the uncirculated grade, extremely fine grade, fine grade, and those ranked good grade silver dollar coins. This grading is determined by the strike, luster, color, preservation, mint state, and place of mint.
We’ve put together this guide to help you learn how to value a 1925 silver dollar.
1925 Silver Dollar Details
You can only correctly determine the value of peace dollars when you are familiar with the appearance and details of the coin. This section includes visual details of the 1925 silver dollar.
- Category: Peace Dollars
- Mints: Philadelphia, San Francisco
- Total Mintage: 11,808,000
- Obverse Designer: Anthony de Francisci
- Reverse Designer: Anthony de Francisci
- Composition: 90%Silver 10% copper
- Fineness: 0.9
- Weight: 26.73 grams
- ASW: 0.7734oz
- Diameter: 38.10 mm
- Thickness: 2.4 mm
- Edge: Reeded
The Obverse
The obverse of this coin is the creation of the young sculptor Anthony de Francisci. This designer modeled the Liberty portrait on the Peace silver dollar after his wife, Teresa de Francisci.
Teresa regarded this as a childhood dream coming to life because in migrating from Italy to the United States, Teresa saw through a steamer the statue of Liberty and immediately called for her family to watch her as she struck a pose mimicking the statue.
This image of Teresa imitating the statue of liberty became the foundation on which Francisci designed the obverse for the 1925 silver dollar. The young sculptor, however, ensured that he elongated the liberty’s face and had her wearing a crown.
On the obverse of the peace coin, Lady Liberty’s elongated face is leftwards, she wears her crown with her lips apart and the wind blowing through the sides of her hair.
The word ‘LIBERTY’ is at the top of her image, and beneath this image is the coin year 1925. Additionally, the IN GOD WE TRUST motto also appears on the middle of this coin cutting through her neck with the first three words on the right and the last word on the left side, and right below the cut-off is Francisci’s monogram.
The Reverse
Like the obverse, the design for the back of the 1925 silver dollar is also designed by Anthony de Francisci featuring the famous representation of the United States, an eagle facing the right while standing on a rock with the inscription ‘PEACE’ along with an olive branch held by its talons.
However, this distinct design wasn’t Francisci’s original design for the mint. Initially, the sculptor designed a more confrontational eagle with a broken sword by its side, but Raymond T. Baker, the mint director suggested they made the eagle appear more peaceful along with the broken sword and the olive branch.
Unfortunately, this subtle change did not impress the press and the public, causing controversy, especially regarding the addition of a broken sword to the design. Many believed that this addition implied defeat rather than peace.
Eventually, the Treasury Undersecretary, Seymour Parker Gilbert commanded that the broken sword be removed from the design leaving only the bald eagle on the peace-inscribed rocks with olive branches at its feet.
Above the image of the eagle is the inscription ‘UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,’ and beneath it is the motto ‘E PLURIBUS UNUM.’ The value of the coin ‘ONE DOLLAR’ also sits in the middle of the coin, with the two words separated by the eagle’s body.
1925 Silver Dollar Value Chart |
||||
Mint mark |
Good |
Fine |
Extremely Fine |
Uncirculated (Mint State) |
| 1925 “No Mint Mark” Peace silver dollar | $28 | $40 | $47 | $185 |
| 1925 S Peace silver dollar | $33 | $44 | $61 | $26,216 |
1925 Silver Dollar Value and Varieties Guides
In addition to identifying the physical features present on the 1925 Silver dollar, knowledge of the different varieties available is also crucial.
1925 No Mint Silver Dollar
- Category: Peace Dollars
- Edge: Reeded
- Mint Mark: None
- Place of Minting: Philadelphia
- Year of Minting: 1925
- Face Value: 1 Dollar
- Melt Value: $15.88
- Dollar Price: $33 – $95,000
- Quantity Produced: 10,198,000
- Designer: Anthony de Francisci
The Philadelphia mint 1925 silver dollar is one of the most popular coins in the peace dollar category and this owed to a high mintage of over ten million coins from 1925. Due to the widespread nature of the coin, the highest value attainable would be from a gem-quality coin.
Identifying one of these Philadelphia mint coins is relatively easy since all you need to do is confirm that there is no mint mark anywhere on the coin. Additionally, this coin’s value is primarily owed to the value of the silver itself as opposed to the coin mint.
An average 1925 peace dollar in good condition rarely goes above $33 but never below $28, while extremely fine coin ones are valued at $47. The highest value for this Philadelphia peace dollar is an MS68 grade mint sold during an auction in 2011 for $89,125, this same coin is valued today at $95,000.
1925 S Mint Silver Dollar
- Category: Peace Dollars
- Edge: Reeded
- Mint Mark: S
- Place of Minting: San Francisco
- Year of Minting: 1925
- Face Value: 1 Dollar
- Melt Value: $15.88
- Dollar Price: $33 – $132,000
- Quantity Produced: 1,610,000
- Designer: Anthony de Francisci
The rare 1925 S mint peace dollar is the second variety by place of the mint of the 1925 silver dollar primarily due to the low mintage in San Francisco, producing only 1,610,000 for circulation.
Acquiring one of these pieces in good or fine condition is relatively affordable, however, the story changes when you move on to the much higher grades ones. For $33 – $61, you will find one of these coins in good to extremely fine quality. However, an uncirculated piece will cost as high as $26,216, especially in a grade as high as the MS65.
The highest grade in this series is the MS65+ grade that was sold at an auction in August 2022 for a record-breaking sum of $132,000.
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1925 Silver Dollar History
The peace dollar series replaced the morgan series in 1921 to celebrate the peace that came with the end of the first world war. It was also a few years after Pittman’s act passed, a season filled with significant production of silver coins thanks to the policies enacted to favor the country during the war.
It was never confirmed where the original idea of the peace dollar originated; however, an article from The Numismatist gives us an idea of how these coins came about. This piece, written by Frank Driffield, mentioned a coin collector named Farran Zerbe.
Driffield had suggested that since these coins were termed celebratory coins, they should be produced in larger quantities so they are easy to find. He also interviewed Zerbe, who had much to say concerning melting down one silver dollar for another.
Zerbe established a link between the need to give up the existing silver dollar and bring them back as the peace dollar to commemorate victory and peace. An idea that needed verification from congress, although one member from Illinois James R. Mann voted against this change.
However, by 1921 the pre-existing morgan dollar had spent over 25 years in circulation, which meant that the treasury could take action and replace these coins without the approval of congress, and they achieved this feat the same year as the peace treaty signing.
Almost 12 million coins came from the 1925 batch of the peace dollar category. More than 10 million were from the Philadelphia facility, while the remaining were from the San Francisco mint.
Furthermore, these coins were initially minted from 1921 to 1928 before the mint renewed them for production in 1934 and 1935. They ended production due to the effects of the great depression and were the last US circulating coin struck in silver.
In designing this coin, a competition was held for a design to find the perfect representation of peace in which Anthony de Francisci, a young sculptor emerged victorious. He modeled his lady liberty design after his wife, who had a moving story linked with the statue of liberty.
On January 5, 2021, former president Donald Trump signed for the peace dollar to be produced again to mark the centenary celebration of the 1925 peace dollar.
Also Read: Top 19 Most Valuable Morgan Dollars Worth Money
1925 Silver Dollar Grading
There are four significant positions to consider when grading the 1925 peace dollar. The first grade is uncirculated, which is also the most valuable one without any damage and the second is extremely fine, with unnoticeable marks on the body.
Next is the fine grade with some visible damage on the body and details of the coin, and the final grade is the good coin, with significant damage on the body, making it the coin with the least value in this series.
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1925 Silver Dollar Errors
During production, some errors occur, affecting the market price of these coins. Mainly, this involves an increase in such values, and these errors are identified using VAM numbers which helps you identify the type of error on these coins and their varieties.
Here, you will learn about some of the errors in the 1925 peace dollar and how these errors affect these values.
1. 1925 Tiara Die Gouge Silver Dollar (VAM 1A)
Unsurprisingly, this error coin is one of the varieties on the top 50 peace dollars, so the value of this coin shouldn’t come as a shock. The error on this silver dollar is not so obvious, so you may need a microscope or a coin loupe to spot it.
You have to look closely beneath lady liberty’s tiara when you want to point this error out, where you will notice a horizontal line at the top of the tiara’s band. To simplify things, you can trace the line from where the ‘B’ in liberty appears.
The grade will also influence the value of such an error coin if it is found. For example, one in MS60 will be around $65, and at MS65, $120; additionally, nine of this coin error type are currently valued at $700 per piece.
2. 1925 Doubled Rays Silver Dollar (VAM 3)
Here is another variety also listed in the top 50 from the Philadelphia mint. The rays above the dollar inscription on this coin appear to be doubled on the right side, especially the D from the dollar, the eagle’s right wing, and the extra olive branch on the right.
An MS60 grade of this variety costs about $85 but the finest grade recorded is the MS66 that sold at an auction in 2013 at almost $400 and today is valued at $750.
3. 1925 Shortened and Missing Reverse Rays Silver Dollar (VAM 1T)
Identifying these errors on the coin involves using a microscope because it is possible to miss them since they are so small. You will find die file lines on the coin meant to eliminate the die marks at the shortened top of the eagle’s left wing.
There is also another shortened ray above the D in the dollar inscribed on the coin and a missing ray at the eagle’s tail. Additionally, there is a teardrop mark on the right of the eagle’s right shoulder.
You will find this coin for $85 at an MS60 grade, even though the best grade recorded is the MS66 which has a value of $750.
4. 1925 Doubled Lower Reverse Silver Dollar (VAM 2)
To identify this variety, you need to observe the coin’s reverse where you will find a doubling of some of the details on the coin. The olive branch on the reverse with the feather on the left leg appears to be doubled on the coin.
A gem quality grade of this error coin is known to exist and costs as much as $27,500 at an MS65 grade. However, a lower-quality grade like the MS60 is valued at $130.
1925 Silver Dollar FAQs
What makes the 1925 Peace Silver Dollar Rare?
The soft strike process used during production and the low mintage of this silver coin is the reason for its high value today. 1925-S Peace dollars in quality condition are also hard to find making the demand for them higher thereby affecting the value.
What marks the difference between a 1925 peace dollar and a 1925 S peace dollar?
These coins are in the same category, but what separates them is their variety which is determined by the place of mint. The 1925 peace dollar place of mint is the Philadelphia mint, while the S peace dollar is from the San Francisco Mint.
What is the grading system for the 1925 peace dollar?
Four major grading systems help you determine the value of these peace dollars. Your coin can be graded as good, fine, extremely fine, or uncirculated.