1923 Peace Dollar - VAM-1BG

Description

Among the extensive roster of 1923 Philadelphia Peace dollar die marriages, VAM-1BG occupies a position in the middle range of the alphabetical suffix catalog — later than single-digit VAMs that were identified in the early decades of the attribution system, but earlier than the triple-suffix varieties discovered in more recent examinations. The 1923-P mintage of 30.8 million pieces provided an enormous population from which die variety specialists have identified and cataloged scores of distinct die marriages over the decades since Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis published their foundational reference work. Each VAM number documents a unique combination of obverse and reverse dies, with the suffix letters indicating varieties that share a primary obverse or reverse die number but differ in one or more diagnostic die characteristics. Collectors hunting for VAM-1BG should systematically examine both sides of the coin under magnification, noting any die scratches, gouges, chips, cracks, or polishing lines that deviate from the normal die finish. The Philadelphia Mint operated at peak capacity during the 1920s Peace dollar production years, cycling through dies at a rapid pace that generated the wealth of die variety material that sustains the VAM collecting community today. Anthony de Francisci's reverse design features a perched eagle clutching an olive branch, with the word PEACE inscribed on the rock beneath — the design element that gives the series its name and provides another zone where die-specific markers frequently appear.

External References