1882-P VAM-25

Description

Reported in 2010, the 1882-P VAM-25 displays doubling on the digit 2 in the date, with the upper ball of the 2 doubled on the right side and slightly at the top inside of the upper loop. Classified as III2 24 - C3a (Doubled 2) in the Van Allen-Mallis system, this variety uses an open 2 style characteristic of certain 1882 Philadelphia Mint obverse dies. The doubling mechanism on date digits typically results from the hub being impressed into the die at a slightly shifted position during the multi-step hubbing process, transferring the numeral outline at two overlapping positions. The catalogers note that without specific die markers identified, this VAM may represent more than one die pair — a caveat that underscores the importance of die-specific diagnostics in VAM attribution, since multiple dies could theoretically exhibit similar date doubling from separate hubbing events. The 1882 Philadelphia Mint Morgan Dollar had a mintage of approximately 11.1 million pieces, struck during the peak years of mandated silver dollar production under the Bland-Allison Act. The act required the U.S. Treasury to purchase between two and four million dollars' worth of silver monthly, much of which was coined into dollars that often went directly into Treasury vaults rather than circulation. This 1882-P date is generally available in most grades, but confirmed VAM-25 specimens with clear date doubling offer variety collectors a specific attribution target within the broader date.

External References