To mark the centennial in 2021 of the transition of production from the Morgan dollar to the Peace dollar series, the U.S. Mint will strike a minimum of six different coins, combined, of the two designs, at three different production facilities.

During the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee’s Jan.19 teleconference, April Stafford, director of the Office of Design Management at the U.S. Mint, said 2021 Morgan dollars will be struck at the Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco Mints.

1921, 1921-D and 1921-S Morgan dollars were struck, respectively, at the same three Mints.

This year’s Denver and San Francisco Mint issues will bear their respective D and S Mint marks on the reverse below the eagle’s tail feathers, while the Philadelphia Mint coins will carry no Mint mark, as was the case with the 1921 Morgan dollars.

The Philadelphia Mint will also strike two additional Morgan dollars exhibiting privy marks that pay homage to the output of the series at the branch Mints in Carson City, Nevada, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

The coins are being issued under the authorization of the 1921 Silver Dollar Coin Anniversary Act, Public Law 116-286.

Morgan dollars were originally struck at the Carson City Mint between 1878 and 1893 and at the New Orleans facility between 1879 and 1904.

The Philadelphia Mint will also strike, without Mint mark, a 2021 Peace dollar.

United States Mint officials have not yet disclosed in what finish or finishes the coins will be struck at each respective Mint, or their planned mintages, or any extended numismatic products, or what the privy marks on the coins will look like.

CCAC Chairman Thomas J. Uram told Coin World he hopes the privy marks will resemble the Carson City and New Orleans Mint marks and be positioned on the reverse the way they were on the originals.

Design amalgamation

During the Jan. 19 CCAC meeting, Ron Harrigal, the Mint’s manager of design and engraving, said the digital renderings the CCAC subsequently recommended for the 2021 Morgan and Peace dollars were executed using an amalgamation of scans of hubs, plaster models, galvanos and original coins from the Mint’s heritage assets.

Harrigal said extensive scanning was conducted to reach the desired relief for the 2021 coins, to most closely match that of the original 1921 issues.

The scanning assists in the mapping of target points to reach the desired relief and depth of the basin to accommodate proper metal flow, Harrigal said.

The design development is intended to render a final product that pays homage to the original sculptors’ designs, Harrigal said during the CCAC meeting.

U.S. Mint officials have not disclosed which member or members of the bureau’s modern engraving and design development staffs rendered the resultant digital sculpts.

The 2021 Morgan and Peace dollars will be struck on the same .999 fine silver planchets that are currently used for commemorative silver dollars.

The original 1921 Morgan and Peace dollars were made of .900 fine silver, with the remaining content being copper.

Additional proposals

The CCAC recommended several proposals for future commemorative coins or medals.

The panel recommended a silver dollar to mark the 250th anniversary in 2026 of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was suggested the coin be issued in 2023, 2024, or 2025 so that designated recipients of net surcharges would receive the appropriate funds to finance 2026 celebration activities.

CCAC member Dennis Tucker questioned the need for an additional commemorative to mark the 2026 milestone, since the recently enacted Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 already authorizes the redesign of all circulating U.S. coin denominations to mark the same anniversary.

The CCAC also recommended the issuance of a national medal or congressional gold medal to posthumously recognize the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The CCAC also recommended that commemorative coins be issued in conjunction with the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California.

Cleveland, Ohio, attorney Arthur P. Bernstein was also sworn in via telephone by U.S. Mint Director David J. Ryder as the newest member of the CCAC.

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