1879-P VAM-24A

Description

VAM-24A of the 1879-P Morgan Dollar documents a die state within the VAM-24 die marriage from Philadelphia Mint production during the second year of Morgan Dollar coinage, as cataloged by the VAMWorld attribution community. The letter A suffix designates the first documented die state of the VAM-24 die pair, representing the earliest identifiable condition of this particular die marriage before subsequent wear, cracking, or polishing events created later die states. The 1879 Philadelphia Morgan Dollar was struck during the early implementation of the Bland-Allison Act, which had been passed in February 1878 over President Rutherford B. Hayes' veto, mandating the Treasury purchase and coin large quantities of silver — a politically contentious policy born from the silver mining lobby's influence and western states' economic interests. George T. Morgan's design was still freshly introduced, having debuted just the previous year, and the dies used in 1879 represented early production cycles for this iconic design. Struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, the coin weighs 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter and features a reeded edge. The twenty-fourth VAM number for the 1879-P date indicates extensive die variety research has been conducted on this early Philadelphia issue, with VAM-24 representing one of many documented die marriages from the year's production. The A suffix die state provides the chronological baseline for tracking this die pair's evolution, and collectors can compare their specimens against later die states to assess where their coins fall within the production timeline of this specific working die marriage at the Philadelphia Mint.

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