1882-P VAM-20

Description

Bill Van Note first documented this Philadelphia Mint Morgan Dollar in November 1998, revealing a striking combination of die anomalies: the top of the 8 protrudes into two adjacent denticle spaces, appearing as two raised curved lines — evidence that the 8 was engraved deeply enough to intersect the border pattern. Additionally, raised metal appears in both 8s and the 2 of the date, similar to the surface disturbances found on VAM-1C. On the reverse, the tops of In God We Trust and the bottom inside of TED STATES show clear hub doubling. Classified as 20 III2 20 with a C3b reverse, the primary reverse die marker is a vertical die scratch on the second and third inner feathers from the bottom of the eagle's left wing. This reverse die also served VAM-21 and VAM-32, linking three die marriages through a common reverse. The 8-in-denticles feature is one of the more dramatic positional anomalies found among Morgan Dollar dates, as it indicates the date was cut unusually close to the border during die preparation. Cataloged by VAMWorld researchers.

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