1885-S VAM-8
Error
Description
Discovered by Bill Van Note in November 1998, the 1885-S VAM-8 bears classification 8 III27 - C3a (885 in Denticles) at rarity 185. This 90% silver Morgan Dollar from the San Francisco Mint displays the tops of 885 protruding into the denticles on obverse III27. The first 8 appears as a raised curved bar in a single denticle space below, the second 8 similarly shows as a curved bar in the adjacent denticle space, and the 5 projects its straight top bar into the denticle below. This indicates the obverse die was hubbed with the date positioned slightly too close to the rim, pushing the upper portions of these numerals into the denticle zone where they transferred as raised artifacts during striking. George T. Morgan's design featured prominent denticles that interacted with marginal elements, making date-in-denticle varieties a recognized specialty among VAM collectors. This obverse die is shared with 1885-S VAM-8 and 1885-S VAM-9, confirming the anomaly as a die characteristic rather than a striking issue.
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