1926-S VAM-1AI

Description

Discovered in 2019 by Jody Faust, VAM-1AI of the 1926-S Peace Dollar carries the classification II 1 - B2a (Die Gouge B, Beveled Field Hair Front, Bun Top) with a rarity rating of I-2, R-5 — the R-5 designation indicating an estimated surviving population of 30 to 75 known examples, placing this variety firmly in the scarce category. The primary obverse feature is a vertical short die gouge positioned at the first short ray to the top right of the B in LIBERTY, described as similar to VAM-1Q but smaller in size. This die gouge comparison to VAM-1Q provides a useful attribution shortcut: collectors familiar with VAM-1Q's gouge can calibrate their expectations for VAM-1AI by looking for a similar mark at a reduced scale. Additionally, the obverse shows beveled fields — areas where the die surface was filed or polished at an angle — at the front ray, in the hair area, at the hair top, and at the hair bun. Beveled field varieties are mechanistically distinct from doubled dies or repunched dates: they result from post-hubbing die preparation where a die sinker or maintenance worker used filing or polishing tools to modify the die surface, creating angled transitions between the field and the design elements that appear as slightly raised or depressed zones on struck coins. The reverse carries a B2a classification. The 1926-S Peace Dollar was struck at the San Francisco Mint with a mintage of 6,980,000, in 90% silver at 26.73 grams. Anthony de Francisci's Peace Dollar design, with its radiant Liberty head obverse, provides the canvas for this die maintenance variety.

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