1882-S VAM-1A

Description

Marking the first sub-variety of the baseline die pairing for the 1882 San Francisco Morgan Dollar, VAM-1A documents a die state differing from the parent VAM-1 through progression-related characteristics — changes that emerged as the baseline dies continued in service beyond their initial documented state. The A suffix indicates the first recognized departure from VAM-1: perhaps additional die scratches appeared, clash marks developed, or polishing altered the surface enough to create a diagnostically distinct identity while retaining the fundamental die combination. The San Francisco Mint struck 9,250,000 Morgan Dollars in 1882 from George T. Morgan's design in 90% silver at 26.73 grams on 38.1mm planchets. The 1882-S is reasonably common, with many survivors preserved in Mint State from Treasury bag dispersals. VAM-1A occupies a foundational position in the variety catalog — closely tied to the baseline entry while introducing the first identifiable deviation. For collectors building a comprehensive 1882-S VAM set, the transition from VAM-1 to VAM-1A represents the beginning of die state documentation within the baseline pairing.

External References