1922-P VAM-1AG

Description

Discovered by David Close in 2017, the 1922 Peace Dollar VAM-1AG is identified by short vertical die gouges located at the rim below the G of GOD and at the rim below the R in TRVST on the obverse (die II1), both attributed to feed finger contact marks. Paired with reverse die B1a and carrying an I-2 interest level with R-5 rarity, this variety documents the mechanical interaction between the die and the coin press's feeding mechanism. Feed finger gouges occur when the automated planchet feeding apparatus contacts the die face during operation, scratching or gouging the steel surface — these marks then transfer as raised features on every coin subsequently struck from that die. The vertical orientation of both gouges, positioned at the rim below specific letters, suggests the feed fingers made contact at a consistent angle during their traverse across the die face. The 1922 Philadelphia Peace Dollar had an enormous mintage of over 51 million pieces, making it the highest-production date in the series, and die gouges from feed finger contact document the industrial realities of high-volume coin production at the Philadelphia Mint.

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