1926-D VAM-1G

Description

Discovered in December 2017 by Jody Faust, the 1926-D VAM-1G "Die Field Break WE" Peace dollar documents a die break in the field below and extending into the letters WE of IN GOD WE TRUST on Anthony de Francisci's obverse, accompanied by fine vertical die gouges below IN G that originated from the press feed fingers. Cataloged as 1G II1 · B2a (Die Field Break WE) with die classification I-2 and rarity rating R-5 (approximately 30-75 known), this variety combines two distinct die defect categories — a structural die break and feed finger gouges — on a single die. Die field breaks occur when the die steel fractures in the open field area rather than at the rim, creating a raised irregular ridge on struck coins that traces the crack path through the flat surface between design elements. The feed finger gouges below IN G document a more mechanical origin: feed fingers are the metal arms that position and eject planchets in the coining press, and when they drag across the die surface they can scratch shallow grooves into the steel. Denver struck approximately 2.35 million Peace dollars in 1926, the second-lowest D-mint Peace dollar mintage after the famous 1928-D, making every documented die pair for this date significant to the variety census. The combination of a field break and feed finger evidence provides dual diagnostics that establish both die damage (the break) and press-specific operational evidence (the gouges). Jody Faust's December 2017 discovery extends the 1926-D VAM-1 sub-variety catalog with a variety that documents two different categories of die interaction. Collectors should examine the field area below WE under 10-15x magnification for the raised break line, and below IN G for the fine vertical gouge lines that trace the path of the feed fingers across the die surface.

External References