1923-D VAM-1AU

Description

Discovered by William Bland in May 2006, VAM-1AU of the 1923 Denver Mint Peace Dollar is classified as II 1 - B2a with the designation "Die Break Top of E" and carries rarity ratings of I-2 for interest and R-6 for rarity (estimated 200-1,300 known). The primary diagnostic is a die crack that runs above PEAC and continues through the top bar of the letter E, where it widens into a full die break before splitting into three separate cracks at the mound's right edge. This progression from crack to break to branching fractures documents the pathology of die deterioration in precise detail — the fracture initiated as a simple crack above the word PEACE, encountered the structural vulnerability at the junction of the E's top horizontal bar, concentrated stress at that point until the crack widened into a break, and then propagated along three separate paths as the accumulated stress found multiple release routes at the mound's edge. The 1923-D Peace Dollar had a relatively low mintage of approximately 6.8 million pieces at Denver, making it one of the scarcer regular-issue dates in the series, and the R-6 rarity rating for VAM-1AU further narrows the available population to an estimated 200-1,300 specimens. William Bland's 2006 discovery occurred during a productive period for Peace Dollar variety research when improved digital imaging was enabling more precise documentation of die breaks and cracks. The branching crack pattern at the mound's edge is particularly diagnostic, as the three diverging fracture lines create a distinctive signature that makes attribution to VAM-1AU relatively straightforward once a candidate specimen is identified.

External References