1922-S VAM-1A

Description

Herb Zepke discovered this San Francisco Mint Peace Dollar variety in March 2000, identifying a distinctive over-polished area on Liberty's tiara that defines the VAM-1A designation. Cataloged with classification 1A II 1 B1a (Shortened Tiara Ray) at I-3 and R-4 rarity, the obverse shows the bottom portions of the first six rays in Liberty's tiara over-polished and missing, along with the leading hair strands adjacent to those rays that were removed during the same polishing operation. The R-4 rarity rating (estimated 100 to 200 known examples) places this as a moderately scarce variety within the Peace Dollar series. Additional diagnostic notes indicate some pitting around the loop of the left 2 in the date, attributed to a rusted die condition where moisture corroded the die surface and created pits that appear as raised dots on struck coins. The 1922-S Peace Dollar had a mintage of approximately 17.48 million coins, and the San Francisco Mint's aggressive die maintenance schedule — where workers polished dies to extend their useful life — generated numerous catalogable states as each polishing session altered the die surface in documentable ways. The shortened tiara rays are a direct result of excessive polishing that removed the shallow die cavity representing those design elements, and the combination with die rust pitting on the date digits tells the story of a die that experienced both maintenance wear and environmental deterioration during its working life.

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