1882-S VAM-1

Description

George Mallis cataloged this die marriage in June 1965, establishing the primary listing VAM-1 for the 1882 San Francisco Mint Morgan Dollar under classification III2 1 - C3a (Open 2) with die pair 187. Struck in 90% silver, this variety's defining characteristic is the Open 2 in the date, where the tail of the numeral does not touch the body of the digit, leaving a visible gap between the curved tail and the rounded upper portion. Die chips between the loops of both 8's in the date provide supplementary obverse diagnostics, documenting minor die surface deterioration. The reverse carries a Medium IV mint mark, centered and upright, classified as C3a within the Van Allen-George system's mint mark taxonomy for San Francisco issues. The C3a designation specifies the S punch's size, positioning, and orientation relative to other known S mint mark placements on 1882-S Morgan Dollars. As the primary VAM-1 listing, this die marriage represents the baseline classification from which other 1882-S varieties are differentiated, established during the earliest years of systematic Morgan Dollar die variety cataloging. =1882-S VAM-1 Open 2= Discovered by George Mallis, June 1965.

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