1922-D VAM-1L

Description

The twelfth alphabetical suffix in the 1922-D Peace dollar VAM-1 family, VAM-1L documents a die marriage from Denver's 15.1 million-coin production run that was identified during the ongoing expansion of the die variety census for this date. Denver began producing Peace dollars in 1922, the first year of the reduced-relief design that replaced the high-relief 1921 format, and the facility's output required a substantial rotation of working dies throughout the production year. Each die developed unique characteristics through the normal stresses of high-volume striking — die fatigue cracks, clash marks from obverse-to-reverse die contact during misfeeds, polishing lines from maintenance, and accidental gouges from handling — creating the die-specific fingerprints that VAM attributors catalog. Anthony de Francisci's design features Liberty wearing a radiant crown on the obverse, with the motto IN GOD WE TRUST in the left field and LIBERTY above, while the reverse depicts a bald eagle perched on a mountain crag above the word PEACE. The D mintmark below the eagle on the reverse provides a Denver-specific attribution zone. VAM-1L, like all VAM-1 sub-varieties, shares the primary die marriage characteristics of the base VAM-1 while differing in a specific secondary diagnostic that earned the L suffix. Collectors seeking this variety should compare their 1922-D specimens against published diagnostic descriptions and reference photographs, focusing on whatever obverse or reverse die marker distinguishes VAM-1L from its neighboring suffix varieties in the VAM-1 family.

External References