1881-S VAM-33

Description

Documented by Martin Field in September 1980 and classified as III2 18 C3o (186), this 1881 San Francisco Mint Morgan Dollar features a doubled first 8 and a high S mintmark. The doubling on the first 8 appears at the lower right inside the upper loop and right inside the lower loop, consistent with a lateral hub shift. Both 8s exhibit a die chip at the top left inside the upper loop, providing an additional marker tying characteristics to this specific die. The S mintmark is centered but set noticeably high, a placement variation from the punch being applied at an elevated point on the working die. The 1881-S is one of the most common Morgan Dollar dates in Mint State, as enormous quantities were stored in Treasury vaults and later released during the GSA sales of the 1970s. Despite overall availability, individual varieties like VAM-33 remain collectible within the VAM specialty. Martin Field's 1980 attribution was part of the early systematic effort to catalog San Francisco Morgan Dollar varieties during the formative years of the VAM reference. =1881-S VAM-33 Double 8, High S= Discovered by Martin Field, September 1980.

External References