1922-P VAM-1AF

Description

Discovered in 2017 by David Close, VAM-1AF for the 1922 Philadelphia Mint Peace Dollar documents "Die File Lines Obverse" with the catalog notation "1AF II1 - B2a (Die File Lines Obverse) I-2 R-6." The R-6 rarity rating estimates fewer than 50 known examples, while the I-2 interest level reflects moderate collector appeal within the broader 1922-P VAM constellation. The obverse die exhibits die file lines above the left 2 of the date, above RVST (part of TRVST), across the right field, and in the left field near the Liberty head profile — indicating extensive die maintenance was performed across a wide area of the obverse die face. An additional comment notes that some specimens display a collar clash on the reverse, adding a secondary variety characteristic to certain die states. Collar clashes occur when the retaining collar contacts the die face, leaving distinctive marks that differ from standard die-to-die clash impressions. The 1922-P Peace Dollar carries the highest mintage in the entire Peace series at 51,737,000, yet the R-6 rarity of VAM-1AF demonstrates that individual die pairs can be extremely scarce even within high-production dates — a single die pair's output represents only a tiny fraction of the total annual mintage. David Close's 2017 discovery came nearly a century after the coins were struck, illustrating how VAM research continues to uncover new varieties as advanced photographic techniques and internet-enabled collector networks expand the research community. The extensive file line pattern across multiple obverse zones provides collectors with numerous diagnostic points for confident attribution.

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