1923-S VAM-1BB

Description

Discovered by Christian Merlo in April 2009, the 1923-S VAM-1BB "Die File Lines RT" Peace dollar records heavy vertical die file lines at the letters RT of LIBERTY and below the hair bun on Anthony de Francisci's obverse design. Cataloged as 1BB II1 · B2a (Die File Lines RT) with die classification I-2 and rarity rating R-6 (estimated 13-30 known), this variety documents aggressive die finishing work that left visible tooling marks on the working die surface. San Francisco struck approximately 19.02 million Peace dollars in 1923, generating substantial die usage across the production year. Die file lines result from the polishing and smoothing process applied to working dies during preparation — mint die shop workers used fine files to remove unwanted marks and smooth the die surface before placing it into service, and occasionally these filing strokes cut deeply enough into the die steel to leave permanent traces that transferred as raised lines on every coin struck. The heavy vertical character of the file lines at RT in LIBERTY and below the hair bun indicates vigorous filing in a top-to-bottom direction, with the intensity sufficient to create clearly visible features on struck coins. Christian Merlo's April 2009 discovery contributed to the expanding documentation of 1923-S Peace dollar die pairs, where the BB suffix demonstrates that well over 50 distinct sub-varieties have been cataloged within the VAM-1 family alone. At R-6 rarity, confirmed specimens are genuinely difficult to locate, and collectors should examine the RT area of LIBERTY and the field below the hair bun under 15-20x magnification with angled lighting that accentuates the raised vertical lines against the surrounding field.

External References