1922-S VAM-1Q

Description

Discovered in March 2010 by Ben Wengel, the 1922-S VAM-1Q "Die Break Above IN" Peace dollar records a dramatic obverse die failure on Anthony de Francisci's celebrated silver dollar design. Cataloged as 1Q II1 · B1a (Die Break Above IN) with die classification I-2 and rarity rating R-6 (estimated 13-30 known), this variety stands among the scarcer entries in the 1922-S VAM census. The obverse die crack originates at Liberty's neck and extends upward through the letters IN of IN GOD WE TRUST, reaching the rim where it widens into a pronounced triangular break — a terminal-stage fracture pattern where the die steel separated progressively under the tremendous coining pressure of silver dollar production. San Francisco struck approximately 17.48 million Peace dollars in 1922, the first year of the revised low-relief design that replaced the artistically ambitious but impractical high-relief issue of 1921. Die breaks that extend from interior design elements to the rim represent advanced structural failure, and when the fracture zone broadens into a triangular break at the rim, the resulting raised area on struck coins becomes visually striking and easy to attribute. The R-6 rarity indicates that very few examples have been documented, suggesting the die was retired shortly after this failure developed. Collectors seeking this variety should examine the area between Liberty's neck and the upper rim at the IN position, looking for the raised irregular ridge that traces the die crack path and the distinctive triangular mass of displaced metal at the rim junction.

External References