1879-S VAM-14

Description

Guy Messing discovered VAM-14 in June 1975, cataloging it as class III2 3 · C3e, entry 184 — S/S Middle. On the obverse (III2 3), the 9 is doubled on its left side and the 8 carries a spike between the loops; the 9 has an open-loop form. Tripling is visible inside the upper loop of the 8 on the left side — a more complex doubling event than simple class III. On the reverse (C3e), the IV-style S mintmark is repunched: a doubled S impression appears at the bottom of the upper loop opening as a thick slanted bar, and in the middle of the lower loop opening as a curved line — the "Middle" designation reflecting this midpoint secondary impression. VAM-14 and VAM-91 share the same obverse die, but VAM-14 is earlier in the emission sequence, placing it before VAM-91 chronologically in die use. The 1879-S Morgan Dollar is a 90% silver San Francisco Mint issue. The tripling inside the upper loop of the 8, combined with the S/S Middle reverse, makes VAM-14 a two-sided attribution requiring careful examination of both the date area and the mintmark under 5x–8x magnification. =1879-S VAM-14 S/S Middle= Discovered by Guy Messing, June 1975.

External References