1921-P Peace VAM-1A

Description

David Close discovered the 1921-P Peace Dollar VAM-1A, classified as 1A I 1 · Aa (Die Break Reverse Right Field) in the Van Allen-Madison catalog. The reverse (Aa) is the defining feature: a vertical die break in the right field above the letters LA in DOLLAR, accompanied by file lines in the right field and around the eagle's head — the file lines representing evidence of die surface maintenance where hand filing was used to smooth the die face, likely in an attempt to address surface imperfections or remove clash marks. The die break's vertical orientation above DOLLAR indicates a stress fracture that propagated through the die steel in the right field area, a zone where the transition between the high-relief eagle design and the flat field creates stress concentration points susceptible to cracking under repeated striking loads. Plate photographs documented by Leroy Van Allen (LVA) show the variety at different stages, including an early die state (EDS) with a smaller break, demonstrating the progressive nature of the die fracture as it expanded during continued use. The 1921 Peace Dollar holds exceptional significance as the inaugural year of Anthony de Francisci's design — the result of a competition to create a coin commemorating the end of World War I. Unlike subsequent Peace Dollars struck with a lower relief, the 1921 issue was produced in high relief, creating striking challenges that contributed to rapid die wear and potentially accelerated die failures like the break documented here. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter, the 1921 Peace Dollar had a relatively low mintage of approximately 1,006,473 pieces, making it one of the key dates in the series. VAMWorld catalogs this variety with attribution credited to David Close's discovery work.

External References