1921-P Peace VAM-1K2

Description

Discovered by David Close in February 2011, this Peace Dollar variety from the inaugural 1921-P production run documents two distinct die anomalies: an oblong die gouge on the back of Liberty's neck and a collar clash on the obverse. The full VAM classification reads I 1 - Aa (Oblong Die Gouge Back of Neck, Collar Clash Obverse), cataloged by VAMWorld. The collar clash manifests as reeding impressions on the rim above ERT of LIBERTY, where the collar die's reeded interior surface made contact with the obverse die face during a misalignment event. Collar clashes occur when the collar die — the ring that forms the coin's edge — contacts the flat die face rather than remaining properly seated around the planchet during striking. The reeding pattern transferred from the collar to the die face then appears as faint parallel lines on the coin's surface near the rim, a subtle but distinctive error type. The 1921-P Peace Dollar holds unique significance as the first year of Anthony de Francisci's Peace Dollar design, struck in high relief that would be modified to lower relief in 1922 due to striking difficulties. Only 1,006,473 Peace Dollars were produced at Philadelphia in 1921, making it the lowest mintage of any Peace Dollar date and one of the key rarities in the series. The combination of a first-year-of-issue with the lowest mintage in the series elevates any die variety from this date, and VAM-1K2's dual anomaly — die gouge plus collar clash — provides two distinct diagnostic features on a single coin from this pivotal year.

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