1883-P VAM-1.6

Description

Sixth decimal sub-variant of the baseline VAM-1 die pairing for the 1883 Philadelphia Morgan Dollar, VAM-1.6 continues the fine-grained documentation characterizing advanced VAM research. The gap between VAM-1.2 and VAM-1.6 indicates decimal sub-varieties are not assigned consecutively — numbers may be reserved or assigned as new variants are reported over time. Each decimal variant shares the fundamental die characteristics defining VAM-1 but exhibits additional minor features distinguishing it from other sub-variants. The 1883 Philadelphia issue, struck from a mintage of 12,290,000 pieces, coincided with the massive Treasury accumulation of silver dollars mandated by the Bland-Allison Act of 1878, requiring the government to purchase and coin silver regardless of demand. Many 1883-P Morgan Dollars were stored in Treasury vaults for decades, and surviving Mint State specimens often trace their preservation to these hoards. George T. Morgan's design was struck in 90% silver at 26.73 grams on 38.1mm planchets. Collectors pursuing decimal sub-varieties work at the boundary of attribution, where subtle differences test both the examiner's skill and the catalog's resolution.

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