1921-S ZERBE MORGAN SILVER DOLLARS

1921-S Zerbe Morgan Silver Dollars.

In Silver Dollars Struck Under the Pittman Act of 1918, Roger W. Burdette wrote after a 17 year hiatus, Morgan silver dollars were coined at the San Francisco Mint on April 21st. They were first delivered to the Paying Clerk on the 22nd and on May 9th, they were released to the San Francisco public. Also, see Farran Zerbe's comments below.

Zerbe, who was the President of the Pacific Coast Numismatic Society handed out some examples of these silver dollars to his fellow members at the group's meeting on May 17th. This was confirmed by David W. Lange who studied the Society's notes. Lange stated that the coins distributed by Zerbe were described as “specimen strikings”, but it is not certain whether that term was used as it is today in reference to specially made coins or simply meant “examples” of ordinary strikings.

The July 1921 edition of the Numismatist documented the May 17th meeting on pages 309-310, and described the 1921-S silver dollars obtained and passed out by Zerbe as “carefully handled, specially selected specimens.”

This points in the direction of Zerbe hand selecting these coins with a collector's eye for their quality, perhaps from a roll or two obtained at the San Francisco Mint's Cashiers counter or a local bank. If they were in fact special strike coins, why didn't he mention it in the article below when his memory was less than a day or two old?

The first of the resumed coinage of silver dollars, dated 1921, were released from the San Francisco Mint on May 9, on instructions from Washington to supply requests for small quantities. Distribution was limited to not more than 100 in one lot. Silver dollars, seldom seen in most parts of the country, continue in common circulation in San Francisco. It is presumed a large release of the new dollars would drive the old ones from circulation. The new dollars are particularly to take the place of those melted to assist our allies in the war and thereby restore silver certificates to circulation. The new coinage is a continuation of the old type, which is best known as the “Bland Dollar,” receiving its name from the legislation fathered by the late Richard P. Bland.

A comparison of the present S mint 1921 dollar with those dated from 1878, the first of the “Bland Dollars” to 1904, when silver dollar coinage was discontinued. shows that the dies are from a new hub, producing coins that differ in several particulars from previous coinages, probably not enough to be discernible by many except by comparison, which will show a little contraction and expansion here and there with characters for better balancing, and a smoothing of detail that tends to improvement and produces a more finished appearing coin.

Among the most noticeable differences is the softening of the shadow line from eye to chin of the Liberty head, particularly around lower lip; and, on reverse, the eagle's wings do not extend so close to edge, the wing at right curves out from body, showing clear field between it and the neck, the stars that divide the legend are a trifle larger, and the ends of ribbon tie in wreath are more clearly defined. Instead of the outer border joining the edge in sharp turn, it is rounded, and makes the reeding appear a trifle shorter. Several of the 1921 dollars before me are all the fraction of a millimeter larger in diameter than in previous coinages; they will not readily pass through the opening for the genuine coin test in a Berrian counterfeit detector, a device that was in common use when silver dollars and gold coin were in general circulation.

The mint mark S, while in the same position as of old, is much smaller and seems to bear out an impression of mine that it has been the disposition of the Government in late years to make the mint mark on all our coins less distinct than formerly.

San Francisco, May 10, 1921.           Farran Zerbe

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web