1879-S VAM-1G

Description

This variety has been eliminated from the active VAM catalog — VAM-1G was determined to be the same die as 1879-S VAM-70, and the duplicate listing was removed to avoid confusion. Originally discovered in 2012 by Doug Bindner, the variety was described as showing an over-polished eagle's head on the reverse, classified under die pair III2 1 with a C3a reverse. The reverse C3a designation indicates a die that received excessive polishing on the upper portion, leaving weak detail on the eagle's head including an open nostril and a detached feather at the left side of the throat. These features — the hallmarks of aggressive die maintenance — matched those already documented under VAM-70, leading to the consolidation. The original listing carried ratings of I-2 R-5, indicating moderate collector interest and a rarity level suggesting fewer than thirty examples are estimated to exist. Collectors who previously attributed coins to VAM-1G should reassign them to VAM-70 for accurate catalog alignment. The elimination of duplicate VAM numbers is an ongoing process in the Morgan Dollar series as researchers refine attributions and merge varieties found to share identical die characteristics.

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