1928-S VAM-1A

Description

Discovered in 2011, the 1928-S VAM-1A is classified as II1 - B2a and carries an I-2 rarity rating with an R-5 reverse, placing it among the scarcer die pairings for this key-date Peace Dollar. The 1928-S is already one of the lowest-mintage issues in the series at 1,632,000 pieces, and die varieties on this date attract strong specialist interest. On the obverse, very light doubling appears on the designer's initial and on the right hair curls, accompanied by a die scratch running from the right curl of the 2 nearly to the 8 in the date. The reverse displays die file lines at the locations of die clash marks — evidence that Mint workers attempted to remove clash impressions by filing the die face, a common period repair technique that left its own distinctive linear marks in the fields. Peace Dollars were designed by Anthony de Francisci and struck from 1921 through 1935. The San Francisco Mint produced relatively modest quantities throughout the series, and the 1928-S stands as the final San Francisco Peace Dollar until the brief 1934-1935 resumption, making any documented die state on this date a meaningful addition to the VAM catalog.

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