1922-S VAM-1J

Description

Discovered by Brian Raines in April 2006, the 1922-S Peace Dollar VAM-1J is designated Long Spike Eagle's Shoulder, Missing Reverse Rays #2, at rarity R-6, die pairing II 1 B1a. A severe die clash transferred Liberty's neck profile into the reverse die, leaving a long vertical raised spike from the eagle's right shoulder up toward the N of UNUM — a striking three-dimensional clash artifact. Subsequent die polishing removed broader clash marks from the reverse but simultaneously eliminated portions of the rays below the right olive branch, producing the Missing Reverse Rays #2 characteristic. The severity is more extreme than VAM-1B, and the specific spike geometry and ray configuration separate it from VAM-5A. A catalog note identifies VAM-1AB as likely a duplicate of VAM-1J. The 90% silver 1922-S Peace Dollar was struck at San Francisco; the TRVST reverse motto and high-relief Liberty design make clash impressions particularly dramatic on this series.

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