1935-P VAM-1B2

Description

Originally discovered in 2010 and subsequently revised in 2019, the 1935-P VAM-1B2 documents die scratches on the reverse at the R and ST of TRVST, the middle olive leaves, and die gouges at TRVST — a complex of die-specific markers that set this variety apart from the many other 1935 Philadelphia Peace Dollar die pairings. Cataloged as III 1-B1a (Die Scratches Reverse R, ST, Middle Olive Leaves, Die Gouges TRVST) with an I-2 interest rating and R-6 rarity, this variety shows vertical die gouges above and below TRVST from feed fingers that contacted the die during later die states. Feed finger marks result from the mechanical fingers that position planchets on the lower die — when these mechanisms contact the die face rather than the planchet, they leave distinctive linear gouges that transfer as raised lines on struck coins. The 1935 Philadelphia issue represents the final year of the Peace Dollar series, which would not resume production until the aborted 1964-D Peace Dollars that were melted before release. Anthony de Francisci's Peace Dollar design, introduced in 1921 to commemorate the end of World War I, had its last regular production run in 1935, making varieties from this terminal date historically significant to Peace Dollar specialists.

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