1881-P VAM-19

Description

Discovered in 2009, the 1881-P VAM-19 Doubled Ear documents a very slight doubling at the right inside and bottom of Liberty's earlobe on the obverse, classified as III2 19 - C3a (Doubled Ear) under catalog number 180. The reverse shows a normal die with no distinguishing characteristics. An important attribution note warns that a die chip on the first 8 of the date is not present on all specimens and is characteristic of a specific die state only — meaning this feature should not be used as a primary diagnostic, as earlier or later die states may lack it. Doubled ear varieties on Morgan Dollars are a specialized collecting focus because the ear is a small, detailed feature that requires careful examination under magnification to confirm doubling versus die deterioration. The 1881-P Morgan Dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a mintage of 9,163,975 pieces during the Gilded Age of American coinage. The Morgan Dollar series (1878-1921), designed by George T. Morgan, remains the most extensively cataloged U.S. coin series through the VAM system, with thousands of documented die varieties spanning over 100 date-and-mintmark combinations. The late discovery date of 2009 — over 125 years after striking — underscores how new varieties continue to emerge from this well-studied series.

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