1934-D VAM-6

Description

Leroy Van Allen himself — the "V-A" of the VAM designation system — discovered the 1934-D VAM-6 Peace dollar in May 1981, documenting a reverse die with the D mintmark tilted to the right. Cataloged as 6 III 1 · B2d (D Tilted Right) with die classification I-2 and rarity rating R-3 (approximately 301-1,300 known), this variety is among the more available die marriages for the 1934-D date, reflecting a combination of reasonable mintage and accessible rarity. Denver produced approximately 1.57 million Peace dollars in 1934, the penultimate year of the series and one of the lower D-mint mintages. The Reverse B2d classification identifies a die featuring the Micro D mintmark — a smaller D punch used at the Denver Mint — set at normal height but tilted to the right of vertical. Mintmark tilt on Peace dollars results from the hand-punching process: a mint employee positioned the D-shaped punch against the working die and struck it with a hammer, and any angular misalignment between the punch and the die surface produced a tilted impression that transferred to every coin struck from that die. The Obverse III designation identifies a specific obverse hub type that differs from the II classification seen on earlier Peace dollar dates, reflecting hub evolution across the series' production years. Van Allen's May 1981 discovery falls within the foundational era of Peace dollar VAM cataloging, when he and George Mallis were systematically extending the die variety classification methodology they had pioneered with Morgan dollars into the Peace dollar series. At R-3, specimens appear with reasonable frequency in numismatic channels, consistent with the variety representing a standard die pairing rather than an anomalous production event. Collectors should examine the D mintmark beneath the eagle's tail feathers under 10-15x magnification, comparing its angle against a vertical reference line.

External References