1925-S VAM-1A1

Description

Rooted in the parent VAM-1A variety for the 1925-S Peace dollar, sub-variety VAM-1A1 "Die Gouge Rays Below BE," which isolates the specific diagnostic of a tiny slanted die gouge in the rays below the letters BE in LIBERTY. Cataloged as 1A1 II 1 B2a (Die Gouge Rays Below BE) with die classification I-2 and rarity rating R-5 (approximately 30-75 known), this variety shares the ray gouge feature with the broader VAM-1A family but is distinguished as a separate catalog entry based on the absence of the additional date gouge that characterizes VAM-1A2. Anthony de Francisci's Peace dollar obverse positions LIBERTY across the tiara of the radiant Liberty head, with crown rays extending upward and outward between the letters. The tiny slanted gouge below BE sits among these rays — a location rich in fine parallel lines where a small die imperfection can be challenging to isolate without knowing exactly where to look. San Francisco produced only approximately 1.61 million Peace dollars in 1925, one of the lowest mintages in the entire series and a key date that commands significant premiums regardless of variety status. The R-5 rarity means an estimated 30-75 confirmed examples exist among that small surviving population, making VAM-1A1 a genuinely difficult acquisition. The die gouge itself — a small linear depression scored into the die surface during preparation — transfers as a thin raised line on struck coins, oriented at a slant among the radial rays below and between the B and E of LIBERTY. Collectors must use at least 15-20x magnification with angled lighting to resolve this feature, and should carefully compare against the parent VAM-1A and sibling VAM-1A2 to ensure proper sub-variety attribution based on the presence or absence of the date gouge at the numeral 2.

External References