1926-S VAM-1R

Description

Discovered in February 2012 by Bill Toland, the 1926-S VAM-1R Peace Dollar carries the designation "Beveled Field, Shortened Front Ray" with the classification II1 - B2a and rarity ratings of I-2 and R-5, estimating between 31 and 75 surviving specimens. The obverse die (type II1) displays a beveled field at the base of the front ray, with the ray itself shortened away from Liberty's hair — evidence that the die was polished or ground in the ray area, removing die steel that carried the tip of the front ray and creating a gradual slope (bevel) in the field at its base. This is a die maintenance artifact: when clash marks or other surface imperfections accumulate near the rays of Liberty's radiant crown, Mint technicians would polish the affected area, and aggressive polishing could shorten or reshape nearby design elements. The B2a reverse displays die file lines at die clash mark locations — further confirming that this die pair experienced a clash event and was subsequently serviced. The complementary evidence of obverse beveling and reverse file lines tells a coherent story: the dies clashed, both surfaces received maintenance (polishing on the obverse, filing on the reverse), and the die pair returned to service with the modifications that define this VAM. The 1926-S Peace Dollar is one of the lower-mintage San Francisco issues with approximately 6.98 million struck, making it a semi-key date in the series. Bill Toland's 2012 discovery demonstrates the continued expansion of the Peace Dollar VAM catalog as researchers identify die maintenance evidence that earlier generations of collectors may have overlooked, adding another layer of attribution data to a series whose VAM catalog grows steadily.

External References