Owner Comments:
The 1897 VN Dinero is a more difficult date, although sometimes available in circulated grades. Finding a nice mint state example could potentially take years. The 1897 JF Dinero, while scarce, is perhaps a bit more available in mint state, although the graded populations are similar. The letter punches on 1897 VN's are often a bit crude or have pieces of letters missing.
The director of the mint at Lima was able to use mint employees as needed to fulfill an order to re-coin 100,000 melted Soles into small coin. Vicente Novoa was the assistant assayer in 1897 and took over the duties of fulfilling this order.
No varieties are listed in Flatt or Krause. The berries on the reverse of all 1897 VN's are 3-1-3, instead of the previous 3-2-3. Krause values the coin at $18 in MS 60, which is way off. This is a much better date, and it deserves a much higher catalog listing, matching at least the values for the 1896 TF and 1896 F.
One at PCGS in AU 55, one at NGC in AU 58, two in MS 63 at NGC, one in 65 at PCGS, one at NGC in 66, and my coin, a PCGS 67 mistakenly reported as an 1897 JF. Only five graded in mint state. Three in Gem or better.
My example, the lone finest graded, features blazing original mint luster, a deep impression, and multiple die cracks, clashed dies, and re-punching on the date and assayers initials.