1921-S Morgan Silver Dollar. Zerbe Special Strike. JD-1. Rarity-7.

Fascinating and Rare Zerbe "Proof" 1921-S Morgan Dollar The Simpson Specimen and Dannreuther Plate Coin Finest Certified at PCGS 1921-S Morgan Silver Dollar. Zerbe Special Strike. JD-1. Rarity-7. Specimen-65+ (PCGS). CAC. This is a superior and unsurpassed example of a fascinating issue, far more carefully produced and attractive than the typically encountered circulation strike 1921-S Morgan dollar. Both sides are minimally toned in the pale golden and rose-russet iridescence with the warmest color confined to isolated peripheral areas. Universally sharp striking detail is also a praiseworthy attribute, as is a finish that is semi-reflective, especially in the fields. Expertly preserved to confirm the premium Gem rating from PCGS, and confirmed by CAC, even the most discerning numismatist will be impressed by this exquisite specimen. The genesis of this issue was the Mint's failure to place the new Peace silver dollar into circulation before the end of 1921. Upset over that fact, Farran Zerbe - the influential ANA member who played a leading role in the Peace dollar project - convinced officials at the San Francisco Mint to strike a few presentation pieces of the outgoing design for his personal distribution. This happened while Zerbe was in California awaiting the arrival of the first 1921-S Peace dollar dies. These, of course, never arrived and were replaced with dies for one final delivery of Morgan dollars from the West Coast branch mint. Per a conversation that Walter Breen had with Wayte Raymond in 1951 (mentioned in Q. David Bowers' 1993 reference Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia) Zerbe then had special 1921 Morgan dollars made in the Philadelphia Mint to accompany the 1921-S specimens that he already owned. While not true Proofs, the 1921 and 1921-S Zerbe specimens are special presentation strikings from highly polished dies. The present example displays the well known diagnostics of the type with the aforementioned semi-reflective fields and scattered die polish lines from the die preparation process. The exact number of pieces produced for each issue is unknown, for they were made expressly at Zerbe's request and do not constitute regular Mint issues. Based on a survival estimate of 100 to 125 pieces provided by PCGS, it is likely that upward of 150 pieces were struck at the Philadelphia Mint. The 1921-S Zerbe is far rarer with John W. Dannreuther observing that just five or six specimens are known from an estimated mintage of 24 coins in the 2025 volume in his United States Proof Coins reference series. With one 1921-S Zerbe specimen impounded in the ANS Collection, and most others tightly held in private hands, the fleeting opportunity represented by this offering can hardly be overstated. Provenance: Property from an Alabama Family. Earlier ex our (American Numismatic Rarities') Classic Sale of January 2004, lot 341; our (Bowers and Merena's) Rarities Sale of January 2005, lot 1073; Heritage's sale of the JFS Collection, Part III, January 2006 FUN Signature Auction, lot 3392; Heritage's FUN Signature Auction of January 2007, lot 1149; Bob R. Simpson; Heritage's sale of the Bob R. Simpson Collection, Part III, January 2021 FUN Signature Auction, lot 3032. The plate coin for the issue in the 2025 Dannreuther reference on United States Mint Proof coinage, p. 1201. PCGS Population: 1; 0 finer. CAC Stickered Population: 2; 0. The former total includes coins certified both Specimen-65 and Specimen-65+. PCGS# 7348. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.

Estimate:$1

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