1922-S VAM-1AA2

Description

Attributed by John Austin in 2013 with rarity indicators I-3 R-6, this 1922 San Francisco Mint Peace Dollar is designated Tooling Circles Lower Obverse, Partial Ray Missing. The obverse exhibits concentric lines near the date area, and letters D through WE appear weak from die wear. On the reverse, the ray at the end of the lower olive branch appears weak with a portion missing, caused by polishing away a nearby die clash line that inadvertently removed part of the ray. These tooling circles are evidence of die maintenance where a rotating polishing tool left concentric marks on the die surface that transferred to struck coins. The partial missing ray documents how aggressive polishing aimed at removing clash marks could damage adjacent design elements. The 1922-S was struck in substantial quantity, and die pairs seeing extended service developed progressive wear characteristics visible on this variety. The R-6 rarity of 13 to 30 known examples suggests this die state was relatively short-lived. John Austin's attribution captured the tooling evidence before it might have been overlooked.

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