The 1921 Pilgrim half dollar honors the 300th anniversary of the Mayflower landing in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the pilgrims stepped foot for the first time in America. This coin, designed by Cyrus Dallin, depicts on its obverse a side-view portrait of a pilgrim, while the reverse shows a detailed rendering of the Mayflower sailing ship that brought the pilgrims across the Atlantic Ocean. The 1921 Pilgrim halves mark the second year of this type and show a small 1921 date on the left obverse field, whereas those struck in 1920 do not show a date. The tiny D seen on the coin is the initial for designer Dallin's last name and is not a D mintmark indicating that the coin was struck at the Denver Mint -- it was struck at the Philadelphia Mint.

The 1921 Pilgrim half dollars are well struck, and most are encountered in uncirculated grades, with the greatest plurality known in grade range of MS63-65. MS66s are scarce, MS67s rare, and those grading higher are extremely rare.