1923-P VAM-1AL

Description

Discovered by Brian Raines in October 2005, the 1923-P Peace Dollar VAM-1AL features a small die chip located to the right of the last right ray emanating from Liberty's radiant crown on the obverse. Anthony de Francisci's Peace Dollar design portrays Liberty wearing a radiant crown with rays extending outward, and the outermost ray on the right side serves as the reference point for this variety — the die chip sits just to the right of that final ray. A die chip occurs when a small fragment of the die surface breaks away, leaving a void that fills with metal during striking and produces a raised lump or blob on the finished coin. Classified as die pair II1-B2a with an interest rating of I-2 and rarity R-5 (estimated 31 to 75 specimens known), this variety requires careful examination under magnification to locate the small raised mass adjacent to the last right ray. The 1923-P holds the distinction of being the highest-mintage Peace Dollar at 30,800,000 struck at the Philadelphia Mint, composed of 90% silver at 26.73 grams and 38.1mm diameter. Brian Raines' 2005 discovery continues the catalog expansion for this prolific date. Examine the area immediately right of the outermost right ray for the small raised die chip.

External References