A unique thing happened on the way to creating the dies for striking the 1926 Peace dollars. The results of the Scopes Monkey Trial were broadcast many trimes daily during the trial by all radio newscasts throughout America. One of those who tuned in to keep abreast of all the trial news was an employee of the U.S. Mint. The Scopes Monkey trial which had been taking place in Dayton (Clark County), Tennessee where William Jennings Bryan (prosecutor) and Clarence Darrow (defendant's Attorney) were arguing the constitunality of the Butler Act which prohibited the teaching of Evolution in public schools. As you know, William Jennings Bryan was victorius and the defendent, John T. Scopes, was found "Guilty" and fined $100. However, upon appeal to the Tennessee Supreme Court, the verdict was set aside because of a technicality. That Mint employee, one of those artists who prepared the designs for the coin hubs in 1926, was a firm believer in divine creation and, as a protest, decided to do something about the perceived injustice. As a result of his protest the word GOD is in high-relief on all 1926 Peace Dollars struck at Denver, Philadelphia and San Francisco. No other word, phrase or device is in high-relief on the '26s. Because of their large mintage, coins from this year are not particularly valuable: Philadelphia (1,939,000), Denver (2,348,700) and San Francisco (6,980,000). So you can view the high-relief word GODhere's photos of the 1926 Peace Dollars from all three mints courtesy of Coast to Coast Coins: 1926 Philadelphia: http://www.coastcoin.com/mmCOASTCOINS/Images/1926PeaceB.jpg <b>1926 Denver: http://www.coastcoin.com/mmCOASTCOINS/Images/100313BB.jpg 1926 San Francisco: http://www.coastcoin.com/mmCOASTCOINS/Images/100314BB.jpg Thought you might want to know... Clinker.
Nice trivia, but probably fiction since the trial was over long before the dies for the 1926 dollars would have been made. The motto on the master hub had been weakening for the past two years and they touched up the master die for 1926. Could there have been a tie in with the trial? Yes. But could it also have just been a coincidence? Also Yes.
