I scored my first peAce dollar a few weeks or so ago in circulation @ the gas station i frequent ( I always ask if they have any 1/2's or wholes in their Til) . A 1922 no mint mark philly . I'm aware that prior posts / threads in many a coin forums have addressed, detailed, and ultimately dismissed plenty of 1922 high relief peace $'s for what they really are - Low relief's. I understand that high relief peace's have a rich and detailed history. At the time I acquired my peace $ ......I had just purchased an1885 gold sovereign from a coworker(@ melt value....score) , and was wrapped up In heavily researching a dime that I just can't seem to dismiss an error. That said , I decided not to allocate any time to , or even magnify my peace$ for observation N just be happy to have one that weighed accordingly. Past Sunday, I went to my coin dealer to buy some plastic holders (encapsulated) for the gold sovereign and pick up some bullion. I bought a plastic holder for my peace dollar since it was my first , and because he was out of stock of the silver oz bars I usually buy, I just decided to get Another peace dollar . He had plenty so I decided on a VF 1922 for the sake of hAving one of the same , but easier on the eyes. The story would of ended here , but when I went to rearrange my makeshift display shelf containing my silver/Gold , & coins/ currency ....I noticed that my Just purchased peace dollAr rAttled within the coin holder when I picked it up, and , In contrast , my peAce dollar from the gas station didn't mAke a sound at all when I handled it. I switched the coin holders thinking they probably varied in size . Not the case. This went on for 15 min or so and finally I decided it was a difference in the coins . ThAt being sAid, .....understand that my objective from that point was to dismiss any likelihood that my 1922 was struck In high relief. To cut to the chAse, I can't dismiss that this coin appears to be in high relief. 1) When layed flat (obverse or reverse), and side by side with another (VF) specimen from the same mint, the coin is taller. (Will provide pic) 2)Distinctions regarding the rim of the coins . On the VF specimen, the field of the coin is clearly retained within the rim, thus making it visible that it (tha field) is beneath the rest of the coin. On the gas station specimen, there isn't any dimensional decline where the field of the coin meets the rim. For those 2 reasons alone, I can't dismiss , based on what I'm seeing with my eyes , the possibility of my coin being in high relief . aside from those 2 "dimensional" aspects of the coin, There are additional features that don't appeAr on 1922 low relief strikes . Since the following features of the coin don't directly indicate high relief , I'm sure they could be explained away on account of die rotations and variations .... But I figure are worth mentioning nonetheless 1)an extra ray on the bottom left reverse- so 4 total rays within & below the word "one" ... Whereas business low relief strikes contain 3 2) The 2 inner - most tail feathers of eagle on reverse actually graze / rest upon the emerging point of the "peace" rock (bottom left of rock .... The absolute begining point where the rock "enters" or "exits" the rim of the coin depending on how you look at it. 3) the 1st ray on the right side of the "peace" rock (mountain) extends upward begining at the end of the last e in "peace" .... Interestingly enough, when you follow it's upward trajectory, the ray goes right thru the eagles right claw and on upward thru the eagle .... On low relief strikes , the very 1st ray protrudes from the mountain, contacting a leaf on the olive branch .... But no further elevation is evident Here are pictures that should pretty clearly illustrate where im coming from..... I greatly appreciate any input .... As I am approaching the likelihood of this coin being high relief subjectively . image.jpg by WVAwise posted Nov 6, 2014 at 1:30 PM 1image.jpg by WVAwise posted Nov 6, 2014 at 1:30 PM 9image.jpg by WVAwise posted Nov 6, 2014 at 1:30 PM 1image.jpg by WVAwise posted Nov 6, 2014 at 1:30 PM 3image.jpg by WVAwise posted Nov 6, 2014 at 1:30 PM 5image.jpg by WVAwise posted Nov 6, 2014 at 1:30 PM 6image.jpg by WVAwise posted Nov 6, 2014 at 1:30 PM *my best guess as to why my coin is .6 grams shy of its appropriate weight is a combo of circulation , and .... If this coin was in fact struck in high relief as a business strike, many areas of the coin never had a chance of being struck thoroughly in regions furthest from the obverse neck and the reverse chest / head of eagle*
Have you considered that one of the coins might have been made in China? I notice that the reeding spacing is slightly different on the two coins. (Nice photo by the way).
Call me pessimistic but if I obtained a 1922 Peace Dollar from a gas station that was thicker than other Peace Dollars while underweight, I would be more concerned the coin was counterfeit than hoping the coin was high relief.
Have you checked it with a magnet? I don't see anything on the "thick" coin to make me believe it's anything but a counterfeit.
Neither coin is high relief. The high relief has a slightly different design with a couple of clear differences. Neither of these coins show the different design. And thickness as seen from the edge can vary depending on the strength so it is not a usable feature.
