1922-P VAM-2

Description

Discovered by Robert Maxey in January 1981, VAM-2 on the 1922 Philadelphia Peace dollar is classified as a normal die of the B2 type, designated die state II 1 with reverse B2a. The I-1 interest rating and R-1 rarity level indicate this is an extremely common variety — R-1 means the estimated population exceeds 1,300 known examples, effectively representing a standard die configuration rather than a scarce collectible anomaly. Philadelphia produced an extraordinary 51.7 million Peace dollars in 1922, the highest single-year mintage in the entire Peace dollar series and one of the largest silver dollar outputs in United States Mint history. This massive production employed dozens of working die pairs, and VAM-2 documents one specific obverse die characterized by the "Normal die of B2 type" designation, meaning the obverse conforms to the standard design parameters for the second obverse type without notable distinguishing features such as die scratches, gouges, or breaks. Anthony de Francisci's obverse portrait of Liberty, rendered in the lower relief adopted after the problematic high-relief strikes of 1921, appears in its intended form on this die. Within the VAM cataloging system established by Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis, even common die pairings receive formal catalog numbers to ensure comprehensive documentation of every identified die marriage. Maxey's 1981 discovery date places this attribution in the early wave of Peace dollar VAM research, when collectors were systematically cataloging die marriages across the entire series.

External References