1884-P VAM-1A

Description

Discovered by George Powell in January 2004, the 1884 Morgan Dollar VAM-1A is identified by a small die chip at the left side of the second 8's lower loop on the obverse (die III21), paired with reverse die C3a under catalog number 189. Die chips — small raised bumps on struck coins caused by tiny pieces of die steel breaking away — produce distinctive diagnostic features that differ from die gouges or scratches in their rounded, irregular shape. The chip's location at the left of the second 8's lower loop provides a precise identification point that can be verified under moderate magnification. The 1884 Philadelphia Morgan Dollar is one of the more available dates in the series, with a substantial mintage that included many coins subsequently stored in Treasury vaults and later distributed through government silver sales. VAM-1A was designated with the suffix letter following the normal die designation (VAM-1), indicating it is a sub-variety distinguished from the baseline die by this specific die chip — a classification approach that documents progressive die deterioration as chips develop on previously normal dies.

External References