1927-S VAM-1E

Description

Discovered by Michael Ash in July 2006 and revised in 2014, the 1927-S VAM-1E Peace dollar is designated Die File Lines Around Liberty Head. Classified as 1E (revised) II 1 B2a with an impact rating of I-2 and a rarity scale of R-5 (estimated 31 to 75 known), this variety documents extensive die maintenance work performed to remove die clash marks. The obverse (II 1) shows heavy die file lines around Liberty's head in multiple areas: below the chin, back of the neck, back of the hair bun, next to the forehead and nose, and around the letters ERT of LIBERTY. The reverse (B2a) displays corresponding die file lines at the die clash marks, indicating both dies were filed to remove the transferred impressions. The 1927-S Peace dollar was struck at the San Francisco Mint in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams at 38.1 mm diameter. San Francisco produced only 866,000 Peace dollars in 1927, making it one of the key dates in the series and one of the lowest-mintage regular-issue Peace dollars. Anthony de Francisci's radiate Liberty head design provides the obverse canvas where the extensive file lines are concentrated around the portrait. The R-5 rarity rating indicates a scarce variety with an estimated surviving population of 31 to 75 specimens, adding substantial collector demand. The die file lines around Liberty's head are the physical evidence of Mint workers manually smoothing the die surface with files after the obverse and reverse dies struck each other without a planchet between them, a common occurrence during high-speed coining operations that the Mint addressed through die maintenance rather than immediate die retirement.

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