1923-P VAM-1AY

Description

Found by John Bradly in January 2007 and rated I-2 R-5, this 1923 Philadelphia Mint Peace Dollar displays unusually heavy die file lines on the reverse at the second ray from the top of the eagle's left wing — evidence of the Mint's attempt to remove die clash marks by filing down the die surface. Additional die file lines appear at the clash spike from the eagle's right shoulder, documenting a second zone where workers applied abrasive tools to erase the ghost impression left when the obverse and reverse dies struck each other without an intervening planchet. Die filing to salvage clashed dies was a common Mint practice because manufacturing new dies required significant time and expense, making it more economical to grind away the transferred design elements and return the die to service. The file lines become permanent features of every subsequent coin struck from the repaired die, transforming a remedial action into a collectible variety. Philadelphia produced approximately 30.8 million Peace Dollars in 1923 — the highest mintage of any Peace Dollar date — ensuring a large surviving population in which these die file line varieties can be found by patient examination. =1923-P VAM-1AY Heavy Die File lines Reverse= Discovered by John Bradly, January 2007.

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