1923-D VAM-1AA

Description

Discovered by David Close, the 1923-D VAM-1AA "Die Break Left of 1" Peace dollar documents a significant obverse die failure where a die crack runs through the bottom of the numeral 1 in the date, extending leftward into a widening break at the rim and also extending rightward to the rim. Cataloged as 1AA II 1 - B2a (Die Break Left of 1) with die classification I-2 and rarity rating R-6 (estimated 13-30 known), this variety records a rare specimen where the die fracture had propagated into a substantial break connecting the date area to the rim in two directions. Anthony de Francisci's Peace dollar obverse positions the date at the lower right beneath Liberty's neck, where the numeral 1 — the leftmost digit of 1923 — sits closest to the rim and thus most vulnerable to the type of rim-connecting die crack documented here. Denver struck approximately 6.81 million Peace dollars in 1923, but the R-6 rarity confirms this die saw very limited production, likely being retired shortly after the break developed to the point documented in the catalog. The crack's path — through the bottom of 1, widening to a break at the rim on the left side, with an additional extension rightward to the rim — describes a branching fracture pattern that effectively isolated a section of the die rim between the two crack termini. The widening to a break indicates the left-side fracture had progressed beyond a simple crack into actual die surface displacement, creating a raised, irregular area on struck coins that extends from the 1 to the rim. David Close's prolific contributions to the Peace dollar VAM catalog have documented numerous die failures across the 1923-D date, and the AA suffix in the alphabetical sub-variety sequence indicates this is the 27th cataloged sub-variety within the VAM-1 family. Collectors should examine the base of the numeral 1 at 10-15x magnification, tracing the raised break line leftward to the rim.

External References