1923-D VAM-1BA

Description

Discovered by William Bland in July 2006, the 1923-D VAM-1BA is a die break variety on the Denver Mint Peace Dollar designed by Anthony de Francisci. Cataloged as II 1 - B2a and titled "Die Break Right of Y #8," this variety carries an Interest rating of I-2 and a Rarity rating of R-6, with an estimated 13 to 30 known examples. The obverse die exhibits a progressive crack telling the story of the die's deterioration: beginning at the upper part of the top left leg of the Y in LIBERTY, the crack continues through the middle of the letter's vee junction and extends to the right at the top tip of the right leg, then runs to the rim where it widens into a full displaced metal break. This progression from hairline crack to rim break is a textbook example of die failure on early twentieth-century coinage, where sustained striking pressure caused cracks to propagate outward from high-stress design areas toward the die's edge. The designation "#8" indicates this is the eighth cataloged die break in the vicinity of the Y in LIBERTY for 1923-D Peace Dollars, reflecting thorough documentation of die failure patterns on this high-mintage Denver issue. 1BA II 1 · B2a (Die Break Right of Y #8) I-2 R-6 Obverse II 1– Die crack thru upper part of top left leg of Y in LIBERTY continuing thru middle of vee and to right at top tip of right leg over to rim where it widens to a break.

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