1928-P VAM-3

Description

Discovered in 2011 by Brian Raines, VAM-3 on the 1928-P Peace dollar is cataloged as II3 - B2a (Doubled ER, Bun Top), rated I-2 R-5 — a moderate-interest variety with an estimated surviving population of 31-75 known pieces. The obverse die shows slightly doubled ER in LIBERTY and a doubled top of the hair bun towards the rim, with the die pair identified as #3 by a short diagonal polishing line at the top of the base of the rear hair strands. On the reverse, classified B2a, some fine vertical die file lines appear on the rays below the D of DOLLAR. The 1928-P Peace dollar is one of the key dates in the series, with a mintage of only 360,649 — by far the lowest Philadelphia production of any Peace dollar year. This low mintage makes every 1928-P die marriage inherently scarce, and an R-5 rarity rating on top of a low-mintage date compounds the challenge for collectors. Anthony de Francisci's high-relief Liberty portrait on the Peace dollar positions LIBERTY across the tiara and crown, where even slight hub doubling on the ER can be detected by experienced attributors. The vertical die file lines on the reverse rays suggest die maintenance during the production run, possibly to refresh striking sharpness on the fine ray details.

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