1923 Peace Dollar - VAM-1BE

Description

Discovered by the collector known as "mitzydog" in March 2008, the 1923-P VAM-1BE "Impaled Eye, Die Scratch" Peace dollar presents a visually striking pair of obverse diagnostics: a short wide horizontal die gouge at the front of Liberty's eye and a faint diagonal die scratch running through the nose on Anthony de Francisci's portrait. Cataloged as 1BE II1 · B2a (Impaled Eye, Die Scratch) with die classification I-3 and rarity rating R-5 (estimated 30-75 known), this variety carries the evocative "Impaled Eye" nickname that immediately communicates the primary diagnostic's dramatic placement. The I-3 die classification distinguishes this variety from the more common I-2 designation seen on many Peace dollar VAMs, potentially indicating a different die preparation or hub type. Philadelphia struck approximately 30.8 million Peace dollars in 1923, the series' peak production year, and the extensive surviving population has enabled VAM researchers to document an extraordinarily deep catalog of die-specific varieties for this date. The horizontal die gouge at the front of the eye creates a raised line on struck coins that appears to penetrate the eye socket, lending the variety its memorable name. The companion diagonal die scratch through the nose provides a second, independent diagnostic that confirms the die identification even if one feature is obscured by wear or contact marks on a given specimen. De Francisci's Liberty portrait on the Peace dollar offers an unusually sculptural canvas where die damage in the facial area produces particularly conspicuous results, as the eye and nose sit within the high-relief portion of the design that receives maximum metal flow during striking. At R-5, this variety surfaces infrequently, and collectors should employ 15-20x magnification to resolve both the eye gouge and the nose scratch, using angled lighting that casts shadows along the raised defect lines.

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