1928-S VAM-7A

Description

Discovered in 2010, the 1928-S VAM-7A Peace Dollar carries the classification II1 - B2b (Doubled Motto to Right, Medium High S, Split 9) with an impact rating of I-3 and a rarity of R-6, placing it among the scarcer varieties within the Peace Dollar spectrum. The obverse (II1) reveals a clashed die with diagonal die file lines at the ER of LIBERTY and vertical die file lines at the digits 19 and WE, indicating the die was filed during maintenance — likely to remove clash marks from a previous die-to-die impact event — leaving characteristic linear striations in the filed areas. The top of the 9's loop is described as over-polished and split in half, a distinctive feature where aggressive die polishing removed enough metal to visually bisect the upper portion of the numeral. The reverse (B2b) shows fine die polishing lines at die clash mark locations, confirming the bilateral die maintenance that followed the clash event. Commentary notes that this variety appears to have an "evil mimic" — a different variety that closely resembles VAM-7A and can cause misattribution — or it may be paired with more than one reverse die. Anthony de Francisci's Peace Dollar design was struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1928, the last year of regular Peace Dollar production before the series was temporarily suspended and then briefly resumed in 1934-1935. Composed of 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter, the 1928-S had a mintage of approximately 1.63 million pieces, one of the lower production figures in the Peace Dollar series. The split 9 feature provides a particularly strong attribution marker that is visible under low magnification.

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