1923-P VAM-1AZ

Description

Discovered by John Vernieri in February 2007, the 1923-P VAM-1AZ "Gouges Around IGW" Peace dollar originally documented die gouges surrounding the letters IGW of IN GOD WE TRUST on Anthony de Francisci's obverse design. Cataloged as 1AZ II1 · B2a (Gouges Around IGW) with die classification I-2 and rarity rating R-5, this variety carries an important editorial notation: it has been identified as a duplicate listing and eliminated from the active catalog, as it was determined to be the same die as the previously documented VAM-11. Duplicate listings occasionally emerge in the VAM system when independent researchers discover and submit the same die variety without awareness of an existing attribution — a natural consequence of the collaborative, crowdsourced nature of the VAM catalog that draws on contributions from collectors and researchers worldwide. Philadelphia struck approximately 30.8 million Peace dollars in 1923, the highest mintage in the series, and the extensive die usage for this date has generated a correspondingly deep sub-variety catalog where the probability of duplicate discoveries increases with the number of active researchers. The elimination of VAM-1AZ in favor of VAM-11 consolidates the catalog by removing redundant entries, though the original discovery record is preserved to acknowledge Vernieri's contribution and to prevent future researchers from independently rediscovering and resubmitting the same variety. Collectors who encounter references to VAM-1AZ in older dealer listings or auction records should understand that these specimens are properly attributed as VAM-11, and the 1AZ designation is no longer active in the current catalog.

External References