1922-S VAM-1AK

Description

Rated at Rarity R-5, with an estimated 1 to 30 specimens known, this 1922 San Francisco Mint Peace Dollar die state variant was discovered in 2014 by David Close. Designated VAM-1AK and described as "Die File Lines Obverse, Pitted Reverse," it documents two distinct forms of die maintenance evidence on a single coin. The obverse shows vertical die file lines with weakened TRUST and rear hair strands — signs that the die surface was filed during routine maintenance, inadvertently weakening design detail. The reverse exhibits fine die rust pitting across the fields, where moisture exposure caused oxidation on the die surface that transferred as tiny raised dots to struck coins. The VAM plate notation 1AK II1 - B1a and the Importance rating of I-2 (moderate interest) place this within the Van Allen-Mallis classification hierarchy. The long "AK" suffix indicates this is a very late-discovered die state in the VAM-1 die pair lineage. The 1922-S Peace Dollar was an early issue in Anthony de Francisci's Peace Dollar series commemorating the end of World War I, and San Francisco production from this period is closely studied by VAM specialists.

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