1882-S VAM-6

Description

First identified by Charles Wallace in April 1970, the 1882-S VAM-6 is a repunched mintmark variety designated S/S, documenting a medium-sized S mintmark re-punched with the original position still visible. The remnants of the first punch appear as a thin diagonal line on the right side of the upper loop and a curved line at the right inside of the lower loop, with the original tilted far to the left relative to the final position. These displacement traces reveal the mintmark punch's initial placement before correction — a process entirely manual during the Morgan Dollar era, with engravers using hand-held punches and mallets to apply mintmarks to each working die. The far-left tilt creates a wider-than-usual separation between primary and secondary positions, making VAM-6 one of the more visually accessible RPM varieties on the 1882-S date. Wallace's 1970 discovery places this among the earlier Morgan Dollar die varieties to be formally documented. The 1882-S Morgan Dollar was struck at San Francisco in the standard 90% silver, 10% copper composition at 412.5 grains. =1882-S VAM-6 S/S= Discovered by Charles Wallace, April 1970.

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