1925-P VAM-1AM

Description

Discovered in 2013 by Ray Castro, known in the collecting community as Hobocarver, the 1925-P VAM-1AM Peace dollar is classified as II-1 B2a and designated Die Gouge Below T, rated I-2 R-5 for scarcity. The obverse displays a broad vertical die gouge below the left T in TRVST, the distinctive Latin spelling of "trust" used on the Peace dollar. This die gouge is the primary diagnostic for this variety, positioned prominently enough to be visible under moderate magnification. The coin was attributed by Leroy Van Allen, co-creator of the VAM system for Morgan and Peace dollars, from discovery coin images provided by Hobocarver and uploaded by oldcollectorcoins. The 1925-P Peace dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a mintage of 10,198,000 pieces, composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams at 38.1 mm diameter. Anthony de Francisci's Peace dollar design, introduced in 1921 to commemorate the end of World War I, features a radiant Liberty head on the obverse and a perched eagle atop a mountain with the word PEACE below on the reverse. The 1925 date is considered common in the Peace dollar series, but VAM varieties on any Peace dollar are of interest to collectors because the series has received less variety research attention than Morgan dollars, meaning discoveries continue to be made, as this 2013 find demonstrates.

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