1923-S VAM-1AQ1

Description

Discovered by John Vernieri in January 2007, the 1923-S VAM-1AQ1 "Shallow Die Gouge B" Peace dollar documents a shallow long die gouge positioned above the short ray to the right of the letter B in LIBERTY on Anthony de Francisci's obverse design. Cataloged as 1AQ1 II 1 - B2a (Shallow Die Gouge B) with die classification I-2 and rarity rating R-5 (approximately 30-75 known), this variety occupies the scarce tier where confirmed specimens require dedicated searching. San Francisco produced approximately 19.02 million Peace dollars in 1923, generating the die consumption that supports the extensive sub-variety catalog for this date. Die gouges are depressions in the die surface that transfer as raised marks on struck coins, and the "shallow long" descriptor indicates this gouge extends over a considerable linear distance but without the depth of a heavy gouge — producing a raised line on struck coins that may be less prominent than deeper gouges but spans a greater area. The specific location — above the short ray to the right of B in LIBERTY — places this gouge in the radiant crown area of Liberty's head, where the sunburst rays radiate outward from behind her profile. The 1AQ1 designation, with its numeric suffix, indicates this is a sub-variant within the VAM-1AQ classification, suggesting a related but distinct die from VAM-1AQ that shares some characteristics while differing in specific diagnostic details. John Vernieri's January 2007 discovery added to the growing body of Peace dollar VAM research during a period of active online collaboration among variety collectors. The Reverse B2a classification indicates a standard reverse pairing, focusing diagnostic interest entirely on the obverse gouge. Collectors should use 15x or greater magnification to examine the area above the short ray adjacent to B in LIBERTY for the shallow raised line.

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