1881-S VAM-17

Description

First identified by Guy Messing in January 1975, VAM-17 from the San Francisco Mint's prolific 1881 coinage pairs a doubled 18-1 obverse with an S/S Down repunched mintmark reverse. Cataloged as 17 III2 9 · C3h, the obverse displays the first 1 doubled slightly at the very bottom of its shaft, while the first 8 carries surface doubling at the bottom outside of the lower loop along with a die chip inside the left portion of the upper loop. The second 1 shows doubling at the lower left of its shaft, punctuated by two vee-shaped notches at the bottom. On the reverse, the repunched mintmark reveals its earlier placement through a thin horizontal line visible in the middle of the upper loop and a faint diagonal line at the top inside of the lower loop. This reverse die enjoyed extended service, appearing also on VAM-61 and VAM-70, which gives variety specialists multiple comparison points when studying die progression. The combination of tripled obverse diagnostics with the clear mintmark repunching makes this a rewarding attribution challenge for Morgan Dollar enthusiasts. =1881-S VAM-17 Doubled 18-1, S/S Down= Discovered by Guy Messing, January 1975.

External References