1926-S VAM-1AH

Description

Identified by Raymond M. Roberts in January 2019, the 1926-S VAM-1AH "Die File Lines AMERIC" Peace dollar records heavy diagonal file lines running through the letters AMERIC and faintly through NUM of UNUM on the reverse. Cataloged as 1AH II 1 · B2a (Die File Lines AMERIC) with die classification I-2 and rarity rating R-6 (estimated 13-30 known), this variety occupies the genuinely rare tier where confirmed specimens appear infrequently in the marketplace. Anthony de Francisci's Peace dollar reverse, featuring a perched eagle atop the word PEACE with the national motto E PLURIBUS UNUM arcing above, places the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around the upper periphery — and it is the AMERIC segment of this legend that bears the heaviest die finishing marks on VAM-1AH. San Francisco struck approximately 6.98 million Peace dollars in 1926, one of the lower mintage figures in the series and a date that already commands collector attention in its own right. Die file lines originate during the preparation of working dies, when mint workers used fine hand files to polish the die face and remove unwanted imperfections before production. Occasionally these filing strokes cut too deeply or were applied at angles that left visible traces in the die surface, which then transferred as shallow incuse lines on every coin struck from that die. The heavy diagonal orientation through AMERIC distinguishes this variety from other 1926-S sub-varieties carrying file lines in different locations, while the fainter lines through NUM of UNUM provide a secondary diagnostic confirmation point. At R-6, collectors should expect to encounter this variety only through dedicated searching of raw coin lots, as the subtle nature of die file lines means many examples likely sit unattributed in collections. Examination under 20x magnification with low-angle fiber-optic lighting will best reveal the diagonal line pattern against the lettering.

External References