1882-S VAM-23

Description

Discovered by Martin Field in October 1978, the 1882-S VAM-23 Morgan dollar is classified as III2-9 C3b and designated Doubled 1-82, S Tilted Left. Struck at the San Francisco Mint in the standard 90% silver and 10% copper composition, this coin weighs 26.73 grams at 38.1 mm diameter. The obverse shows the numeral 1 doubled on the top right side of its shaft, with 82 doubled slightly right of the upper loops, creating subtle but confirmable secondary digit impressions. The reverse features a medium-sized mintmark that is filled and tilted to the left, a characteristic S mintmark positioning that differs from the standard upright placement. VAMWorld notes that this obverse die is shared with both the 1882-S VAM-10 and 1882-S VAM-23, indicating that the same obverse die was paired with different reverse dies during production, a common practice at the mint to maximize die utilization. The San Francisco Mint produced 9,250,000 Morgan dollars in 1882, and the 1882-S is generally regarded as one of the more available dates for high-grade specimens, as many examples were preserved in Treasury vaults and released to the market through General Services Administration sales in the 1970s. The mintmark tilting and date doubling together provide collectors with clear diagnostics for attributing this die marriage within the extensive 1882-S VAM catalog, making it an accessible variety for collectors entering the world of VAM attribution.

External References