1926-S VAM-1F1

Description

When die clash marks threaten the quality of struck coins, Mint personnel intervene by filing the die surface, and VAM-1F1 of the 1926-S Peace Dollar preserves the evidence of exactly such maintenance. Discovered by Laurence Galbraith in June 2005, this variety displays heavy die file lines across the entire reverse, applied to erase clash marks from a previous mishap where obverse and reverse dies struck each other without a planchet. The file lines on this die differ from those on VAM-1D, establishing a distinct die with its own maintenance history. Die clashing was common in high-speed production, and the Mint's standard remedy of hand-filing created its own category of collectible variety. The 1926-S Peace Dollar had a modest mintage from San Francisco, which produced Peace Dollars from 1922 through 1926 and again in 1934 and 1935. Cataloged as plate 1F II 1 B2a I-2 R-6, the R-6 rarity rating estimates 13 to 30 specimens known. Struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, this scarce San Francisco variety transforms routine die maintenance into a documented artifact of Mint production practice.

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