1925-S VAM-5A

Description

Discovered in 2017 by Travis Dobbins, the 1925-S VAM-5A features doubled legs and rays on the reverse eagle combined with a die break at the bottom of Liberty's neck on the obverse. Classified as II1 - B2a (Doubled Legs and Rays, Die Break Neck Bottom) with rarity ratings of I-2 R-6, the R-6 designation estimates fewer than 25 specimens known, making this one of the rarest documented VAM varieties for the 1925-S Peace Dollar. The obverse shows a horizontal die crack across Liberty's head and neck, extending below WE (from WE TRUST) with a slight displaced design break at the left bottom of the neck — indicating that the die crack had progressed to the point of physically shifting the metal in the surrounding area. On the reverse, the doubled legs and rays of the eagle result from misalignment during the hubbing process, where the hub and die were offset between impressions, transferring the eagle's anatomical features at two overlapping positions. The 1925-S Peace Dollar had a mintage of approximately 1.61 million pieces at the San Francisco Mint, making it one of the scarcer dates in the series. San Francisco's Peace Dollar production in the mid-1920s employed Anthony de Francisci's high-relief design that placed considerable stress on the dies, and the combination of die cracking with hub doubling on this variety suggests the obverse die experienced multiple forms of degradation during its service life. The "A" suffix denotes a specific die state within the VAM-5 family.

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