1878-S VAM-25

Description

Discovered by Martin Field in March 1979, the 1878-S VAM-25 is a Morgan dollar from the San Francisco Mint classified as II-1 B2c, designated S Set High and Right. The obverse displays a broken point on star 4 at right and the 7 is slightly doubled on its right side, which is identified as a hub defect rather than a repunched digit. The reverse features a small Type III S mintmark positioned high and to the right of its normal location, the primary diagnostic for this variety. A significant note from VAMWorld indicates that this variety "likely doesn't exist," suggesting it may have been delisted or its attribution questioned by subsequent researchers. In 1878 dates were part of the master die, so there is no variation in date position, an important technical detail for understanding why the doubling on the 7 is attributed to a hub defect. The 1878-S Morgan dollar was the inaugural year for both the series and the San Francisco Mint's participation in it, with a mintage of 9,774,000 pieces following the passage of the Bland-Allison Act requiring the Treasury to purchase $2 to $4 million in silver per month for coinage. Composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, the coin weighs 26.73 grams at 38.1 mm diameter. George T. Morgan's design, featuring Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap adorned with wheat and cotton on the obverse, was the result of his collaboration with Philadelphia schoolteacher Anna Willess Williams, who served as the model for Liberty.

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