1928-S VAM-6A

Description

Discovered by George Powell in March 2006, the 1928-S VAM-6A is a Peace dollar variety designated as Doubled Motto, Designer's Initials, Die File Lines. Classified as 6A II 4 B2a with an impact rating of I-2 and a rarity scale of R-6 (estimated 13 to 30 known), this is one of the scarcer varieties in the 1928-S Peace dollar series. The obverse (designated II 4) shows heavy die file lines in the field around ERT — part of LIBERTY — representing the Mint's attempt to remove die clash marks from the die surface using manual filing. The reverse (B2a) displays some heavy die file lines at the top of the eagle's right shoulder and above DOL (part of DOLLAR), similarly applied to remove clash evidence. The 1928-S Peace dollar was struck at the San Francisco Mint in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. San Francisco produced only 1,632,000 Peace dollars in 1928, making it one of the lower-mintage dates in the series. Anthony de Francisci's high-relief design features Liberty's radiate head on the obverse and a perched bald eagle on the reverse. The combination of doubled motto, doubled designer's initials, and die file lines on a single variety indicates a die that experienced both hub doubling during preparation and subsequent clash damage during production, with the file line evidence documenting the Mint's attempt to rehabilitate the die rather than retire it. The R-6 rarity rating makes this a challenging variety to acquire for Peace dollar VAM collectors.

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