1926-S VAM-1U

Description

Discovered in 2013 by David Close, the 1926-S Peace Dollar VAM-1U is designated "Die Gouges B & R" for slightly shallow die gouges at the left of B and through R in LIBERTY on Anthony de Francisci's obverse. Classified as 1U II1 B2a with an I-2 interest rating and R-5 rarity, this variety has an estimated population of 13 to 30 confirmed specimens. Die gouges are incuse defects created when the die surface is damaged by foreign material or impact, producing raised marks on struck coins. The placement of gouges at two separate letters in LIBERTY — left of B and through R — provides a two-point diagnostic that strengthens attribution confidence: finding both marks in their expected positions effectively confirms the die identity. As a sub-variety of the VAM-1 die marriage, VAM-1U shares the standard 1926-S die pairing but is distinguished by this pair of obverse gouges. The 1926-S had a mintage of only 6,980,000 Peace Dollars at the San Francisco Mint, making it a moderately scarce date in the series. Cataloged within the VAM system developed by Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis, this regular strike was produced in 90% silver at 26.73 grams. Examine the area to the left of B and through R in LIBERTY for the slightly shallow raised marks confirming this variety.

External References