1922-D VAM-1F2

Description

Ben Wengel discovered this Peace Dollar variety in February 2010, and it carries the distinctive designation of "Spiked Eye, Double Clashed Spikes Eagle's Shoulder" — a combination of two die clash artifacts on the same coin. The VAM-1F2 technical classification is II1 - B2a, with the reverse (B1a) showing short double clashed spikes rising from the eagle's right shoulder. The "spiked eye" feature on the obverse results from a die clash where reverse design elements transferred into the obverse die near Liberty's eye, creating a raised spike that appears to extend from the eye area. Simultaneously, the reverse die shows double clash spikes — meaning the dies clashed on two separate occasions, each leaving its own set of transferred design elements on the reverse, producing paired spike-like protrusions rising from the eagle's shoulder. Double clashing is relatively uncommon because it requires two distinct clash events on the same die pair, each at slightly different alignment, to produce overlapping transferred impressions. The Denver Mint struck approximately 15.06 million Peace Dollars in 1922, a substantial mintage in the series, and the 1922-D is among the most available Denver Mint Peace Dollars for collectors. Anthony de Francisci's Liberty portrait and the perched eagle reverse, both rendered in relatively high relief, create conditions where die clash transfers are particularly visible. The combination of obverse spiked eye and reverse double clash spikes on a single die pair makes VAM-1F2 a notable example of compound die clash phenomena in the Peace Dollar series.

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