1934-S Peace Silver Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 1,011,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,011,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 26.73 g
- Diameter
- 38.1 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1934-S Peace Silver Dollar worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face and above their metal value. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1934-S Peace Silver Dollar rare?
- Somewhat. 1,011,000 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Is the 1934-S Peace Silver Dollar silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.7735 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on a 1934 Peace Silver Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the word ONE, near the tip of the eagle's wing. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- How many 1934-S Peace Silver Dollar coins were made?
- 1,011,000.
What to check on your 1934-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1934 (954,057 made).
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Judge the grade under good light. Wear appears first on the hair above Liberty's ear and on the eagle's wing feathers.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more.
The story of the 1934-S
San Francisco hadn't struck the Peace Silver Dollar since 1928. When it came back in 1934, it made 1,011,000. In 1935 the figure was 2 million.
1934 came to 954,057 and 1934-D came to 1.6 million, so neither mint's 1934 coin is much scarcer than the other. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1921 (1,006,473) and the 1927-S (866,000).
Only the 1927-S has a lower mintage among San Francisco's 9 Peace Silver Dollars. Among the 1930s issues, only the 1934 had a smaller run.
The New Deal revival (1929 to 1935)
No dollars were made from 1929 to 1933. New Deal silver legislation led to fresh dollar coinage in 1934 at Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. Coinage continued in 1935 at Philadelphia and San Francisco. Each issue was small, with mintages between about 954,000 and 1,964,000. Philadelphia's 1934 run of 954,057 was the smallest of the five.
The 1934-S, with 1,011,000 struck, is common in worn grades but scarce uncirculated, which makes it one of the condition keys of the series. The 1934-D is known with a doubled die obverse. Coins from these years were struck with more care than many 1920s dollars and often show good luster. The 1935 coins were the last Peace dollars made for circulation. Three decades passed before the next attempt.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1934
The Gold Reserve Act transferred gold to the Treasury and the official price of gold was raised soon after. Silver dollar production resumed briefly with Peace dollars.
How to recognize it
Anthony de Francisci's Liberty faces left wearing a crown of light rays, with LIBERTY above and the date below. The reverse shows an eagle at rest on a mountaintop, holding an olive branch, as the sun rises behind it, with the word PEACE on the rock. The mint mark is below the word ONE, near the tip of the eagle's wing.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Peace Silver Dollar (1921–present) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1934 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 1,011,000 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 26.73 grams |
| Diameter | 38.1 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.7735 troy oz (24.057 g) |
| Designer | Anthony de Francisci |
Other 1934 Peace Silver Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 Peace Silver Dollar | 954,057 | Circulation strike | 0.7735 oz |
| 1934-D Peace Silver Dollar | 1,569,500 | Circulation strike | 0.7735 oz |
| 1934-S Peace Silver Dollar | 1,011,000 | Circulation strike | 0.7735 oz |
Mintage: Peace dollar (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.