Prooflike Coins: Prooflike pieces are seen on occasion, and have a mirrorlikc quality to the fields, which arc not completely "plane" but show distortions in me mirror surface near the lettering and other features. Such pieces can have a very nice strike (for a 1921 dollar). Pieces called Zerbe Proofs are simply circulation strikes with a semi-proof!ike character, not as nice as on the earlier-noted prooflike pieces, struck from dies that were slightly polished, but that retained countless minute striae and preparation lines. In the view of die writer, Zerbe Proofs have no basis in numismatic fact or history, although opinions differ on die subject. It seems highly unlikely that tnese were produced as Proofs for collectors. If indeed they were furnished to Farran Zerbe, a leading numismatic entrepreneur of the era, it is likely that they were simply regular production pieces. Zerbe had a fine collection and certainly knew what a brilliant Proof should look like, and he never would have accepted such pieces as mirror Proofs.

Mintage and Distribution: Distribution of the 1921 Morgan dollars seems to have been more or less continuous from the 1920s onward. Soon, these became very common in areas in which dollars circulated, and in bags of mixed dollars in banks in otner locations. By early 1964. most dollars seen on Nevada gaming tables were of this date, mostly Philadelphia issues, but many of Denver and San Francisco as well. Bags of 1921 dollars were a drag on the market, and dealers in bags often posted buying prices for bulk "except 1921."

1921 "Chapman Proofs"
Proof Mintage: Unknown, estimated be fewer than 30; Breen (Proof Coin Encyclopedia, p. 220) positively states 12. Sometimes called Chapman Proofs today, as Philadelphia dealer Henry Chapman advertised Proofs as early as spring 1922, a few months after they were coined. The number of Chapman Proofs certified, as given below, is surprisingly large. I have only ever seen a handful in 50 years that I would call mirrored Chapman Proors.

Key to Collecting Proofs: Most are nearly of the same highly polished deep mirror surfaces char¬acteristic of 19th century Proof Morgan dollars, but sometimes with slight tinges of graininess near
the rims. Contrast is average.

Die Varieties: The dies of the early issues have 17 berries on the right reverse wreath. Later, 16 berries appear on the right wreath, this also being the style used for Denver and San Francisco Mint 1921 Morgan dollars. For the 1921 Philadelphia version, both berry types are plentiful. Unlike earlier Morgan dollar dies, those used to coin 1921 dollars of all mints were not basined. Some varieties of the 1921 Morgan dollars, all mints, have small raised dots. On the Philadelphia Mint versions, VAM-8 and 9 each show a raised dot in the field. It has been suggested that these are marks from a Rockwell punch used to test the hardness of the dies. Others have suggested they may have been gas bubbles in the blank die face before it was impressed with the hub. The standard edge-reed count is 189 for the 1921 Morgan dollar, but some with the 17-berry count (e.g., VAA1-2 and 4) have only 157 reeds. VAM-3 is known with the reverse die misaligned 45°.

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Courtesy Bowers: A Guide Book of Morgan Silver Dollar