 From the start , the Mint found that excessive pressure had to be applied to fully bring out the design of the coin , and the dies broke rapidly . On January 10 , 1922 , O 'Reilly , still serving as Acting Mint Director in Baker 's absence , ordered production halted . Dies had been sent to the Denver and San Francisco mints in anticipation of beginning coinage there ; they were ordered not to begin work until the difficulties had been resolved . The Commission of Fine Arts was asked to advise what changes might solve the problems . Both Fraser and de Francisci were called to Philadelphia , and after repeated attempts to solve the problem without reducing the relief failed , de Francisci agreed to modify his design to reduce the relief . The plaster models he prepared were reduced to coin size using the Mint 's Janvier reducing lathe . However , even after 15 years of possessing the pantograph @-@ like device , the Mint had no expert in its use on its staff , and , according to Burdette , " [ h ] ad a technician from Tiffany 's or Medallic Art [ Company ] been called in , the 1922 low relief coins might have turned out noticeably better than they did " . 
