1924 (S) Peace Dollar - VAM-1G

Description

Discovered in 2010 by Larry Briggs, the 1924-S VAM-1G "Die Chip Neck" Peace dollar features a combination die crack and die chip at the bottom of Liberty's neck on Anthony de Francisci's obverse — a short horizontal die crack at the base of the neck truncation paired with a large die chip that has broken away from the die surface in the same area. Cataloged as 1G II1 - B2a (Die Chip Neck) with die classification I-2 and rarity rating R-6 (estimated 13-30 known), this variety occupies the rare tier where confirmed specimens represent meaningful numismatic discoveries. Die chips form when a small fragment of die steel breaks away entirely from the die face, leaving a void that fills with metal during striking and produces a raised, irregular blob on the coin's surface. The combination of a horizontal crack and an adjacent chip at the neck truncation suggests progressive die deterioration where an initial crack weakened the surrounding die steel, eventually causing a section to fracture completely and separate. Larry Briggs, a prolific researcher in Peace dollar VAM documentation who contributed numerous variety discoveries, identified this variety as part of the deep VAM-1 sub-variety family for 1924-S. At R-6 rarity, with only 13-30 specimens estimated known, this variety is genuinely difficult to locate and represents one of the scarcer attributions within the 1924-S catalog. Examination should focus on the base of Liberty's neck at 15-20x magnification, looking for both the horizontal crack line and the raised mass of the die chip.

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