1879-S VAM-28

Description

Originally discovered by Martin Field in October 1978 and revised in 2013, the 1879-S VAM-28 is designated as a Doubled 1-9 variety, carrying the classification III2 14 paired with reverse C3a and a population figure of 185. On the obverse, the 1 in the date is doubled below its upper crossbar, and the 9 shows slight doubling on the left outside of both loops — a subtle but cataloguable displacement. A horizontal polishing line crossing the ear serves as the primary die marker for this obverse. The reverse is a normal C3a die with a medium IV-grade S mintmark centered and upright in standard position. Two additional notes accompany this attribution: the reverse die is shared exactly with 1879-S VAM-73, a detail useful for die-pairing research; and large chips on Liberty's neck are also reported. The 1879-S Morgan Dollar was produced at the San Francisco Mint in 90% silver. Date doubling on Morgan Dollars is typically caused by sequential hub impressions on the working die with slight misalignment, and examples with the 1-9 doubled pair are catalogued across multiple obverse dies for the 1879-S date.

External References