1922-S VAM-1AE

Description

Discovered in 2012, the 1922-S VAM-1AE Die File Lines Reverse Peace Dollar documents a reverse die that received heavy filing to remove die clash marks — leaving distinctive file lines in various directions at the eagle's right shoulder, above PEACE, and at the lower rays below the tail feathers. Cataloged as 1AE II1 - B2a, this variety rates I-2 for interest and R-5 for rarity, placing it in the scarce range where only 30-75 examples are estimated to exist. Die clash marks occur when the obverse and reverse dies strike each other without a planchet between them, transferring design elements from each die onto the other. When Mint workers detected the clash marks, they filed the die surfaces to remove the transferred images, but the filing process left its own telltale marks — the die file lines that define this VAM. The multiple filing directions visible at the eagle's shoulder indicate the worker used several strokes at different angles to remove the clash impression. The 1922-S Peace Dollar had a mintage of 17.5 million pieces, making it a common date in the series, but the R-5 rarity rating for VAM-1AE indicates very few specimens from this particular die pairing have been identified. Anthony de Francisci's Peace Dollar eagle reverse, with its detailed feather work and ray pattern, shows die file lines with particular clarity because the fine parallel elements contrast with the irregular crossing lines left by the filing tool.

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