1921-P VAM-1AB

Description

David Close's 2013 discovery, VAM-1AB documents over-polished and shortened rays on the tail feathers of the 1921 Philadelphia Peace Dollar reverse, classified I1 - Aa. The reverse exhibits heavy die file lines on the lower portion with some separation of the rays below the tail feathers from the rock on the right side — evidence of aggressive die maintenance where Mint workers filed the die surface to extend its service life, inadvertently shortening the finely detailed sunray elements. The obverse die marker is a short die scratch at the top of W in WE. Philadelphia struck 1,006,473 Peace Dollars in 1921, the series' inaugural year and among the lowest mintages in the entire Peace Dollar run, making any 1921-P variety inherently scarce. Anthony de Francisci's High Relief design, used only in 1921 before being modified to a lower relief for 1922 production, features dramatic sculptural depth that created both striking visual impact and practical die wear challenges. The over-polishing that shortened the rays documents the tension between die longevity and design fidelity — extending die life through polishing came at the cost of losing the fine ray detail that de Francisci had intended. Collectors seeking VAM-1AB should compare ray lengths against standard 1921-P examples to identify the characteristic shortening.

External References