1923-P VAM-1AD

Description

Discovered by David Close, VAM-1AD for the 1923 Philadelphia Mint Peace Dollar is classified as II 1 - B2a (Rim Cuds at Date) with a rarity rating of I-3 R-6, indicating an estimated 13 to 30 specimens known. The obverse exhibits four die breaks on the rim below the date that extend into the field, with one break nearly reaching the bottom of the digit 9 — dramatic rim damage that makes this variety visually striking even without magnification. Additionally, two short vertical gouges appear above and to the right of the right T in TRUST, providing secondary attribution markers. The "AD" suffix in the VAM-1 sequence reflects extensive documentation of this prolific die pair, which has accumulated numerous sub-varieties as researchers identified different die states. The revised classification notation indicates this listing was updated from an earlier attribution. The 1923-P Peace Dollar had a substantial Philadelphia Mint production of over 30.8 million pieces, the highest mintage of any date in the Peace Dollar series. Dies at Philadelphia worked under enormous production pressure to meet this volume, and the four rim cuds at the date testify to the stress concentration in the lower obverse area where the date digits and nearby rim bore repeated impact forces. David Close's discovery adds to the growing catalog of late die state Peace Dollar varieties showing progressive rim failure.

External References