1922-S VAM-1AI

Error

🪙

Verified LegacyVAM Variety

Market Value

N/A

Rarity Index

N/A

Discovery Date

1922

Last Sold

N/A

Description

VAM-1AI on the 1922-S Peace Dollar preserves direct evidence of die maintenance at the San Francisco Mint: vertical die file lines in front of Liberty's forehead and nose, applied to remove die clash marks from the obverse. Discovered in 2013 by bjsilverfox, this variety is classified as II1 - B2a with R-5 rarity (30–75 known). Die clashing — when obverse and reverse dies strike each other without a planchet between them — was a common occurrence during high-volume production, and removing the resulting transfer marks required careful filing of the die face. The file lines run vertically across some of the most prominent features of Anthony de Francisci's Liberty portrait, creating a distinctive texture that distinguishes these coins from normal strikes. The presence of clash-removal filing confirms this die experienced at least one clash event before producing the coins now collected as VAM-1AI, making it a tangible record of Mint production practices.