1926-S VAM-1X

Description

Larry Briggs discovered this die variety in 2013, documenting VAM-1X on the 1926 San Francisco Peace Dollar as a die file lines variety with rarity ratings of I-2 for interest and R-5 for scarcity. Classified as II1 - B2a (Die File Lines Obverse & Reverse), the obverse shows heavy die file lines at the front rays, nose, WE, TR, and the R of LIBERTY, with rays slightly detached from the bottom. The reverse displays heavy die file lines covering all fields, applied to erase die clash marks — direct evidence of Mint die maintenance in action. The filing process leaves parallel grooved lines in the die surface that transfer as raised lines on struck coins, and the extensive coverage on both sides indicates the Mint personnel were attempting to eliminate clash marks across the entire die surface rather than addressing a localized area. San Francisco struck approximately 1.94 million Peace Dollars in 1926, one of the scarcer dates in the series, making die file line specimens additionally noteworthy as artifacts of Mint practice on a low-mintage issue. The heavy file lines on both obverse and reverse provide unmistakable attribution markers — these linear features are entirely different in character from hub doubling or strike anomalies, creating a distinctive surface texture visible even at low magnification.

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