1885-P VAM-9.4

Description

Within the VAM-9 die marriage for the 1885 Philadelphia Morgan dollar, the sub-variety VAM-9.4 "Far Date" identifies an obverse die where the four-digit date 1885 was positioned further to the right than the standard placement. Cataloged as 9.4 III2 9 · C3a (Far Date) with the parenthetical (188) referencing the obverse die number in the Morgan dollar die registry, this variety documents a date punch positioning variation that occurred when the engraver placed the individual numeral punches into the working die. George T. Morgan's silver dollar obverse features Liberty crowned with wheat, cotton, and a Phrygian cap, with the date positioned at the lower rim — a location where even modest horizontal shifts in punch placement produce identifiable varieties. Philadelphia struck approximately 17.79 million Morgan dollars in 1885, a substantial production run that generated numerous die pairs and correspondingly deep VAM documentation. The "far date" diagnostic means the date sits measurably to the right of the normal position, requiring comparison against reference images of standard-positioned dates to confirm the rightward displacement. The III2 obverse die classification and 9 numeral in the catalog code connect this die to the broader VAM-9 family, while the .4 suffix designates this specific sub-variety distinguished by the far date characteristic. The C3a reverse pairing is standard for this die marriage. Morgan dollar VAM collecting has produced the most extensively documented die variety catalog in American numismatics, with date position varieties like "far date" and "close date" forming an important subcategory that reflects the hand-punching methods used to add dates to each working die individually. Collectors should compare the date position against known standard examples, measuring the gap between the rightmost digit and the nearest design element or rim to confirm the rightward displacement.

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