1886-P VAM-1L

Description

Discovered in 2009 and subsequently delisted, VAM-1L initially documented a "Dot 6" on the 1886 Philadelphia Morgan Dollar, classified as III2 1 C3a (188). The obverse exhibited a large die chip dot at the lower right inside of the 6's lower loop — what appeared at first to be a distinctive die marker. The backstory is colorful: John Roberts physically examined the coin and, according to the original comments, "poked" it, discovering that the dot moved, revealing a small lamination issue in the 6 of an 1886 rather than a genuine die chip. Lamination defects arise from impurities or gas pockets trapped within the planchet during the rolling and annealing process, and they can mimic die chips in appearance until physical manipulation reveals the loose metal flake. Philadelphia struck 19,963,886 Morgan Dollars in 1886, a substantial mintage in the series' ninth year of production under the Bland-Allison Act. The delisting of VAM-1L serves an important archival function: it prevents future researchers from rediscovering the same coin and incorrectly attributing it as a die variety, documenting the investigative process that distinguished a planchet defect from a die defect. The VAM system's willingness to delist incorrect entries demonstrates its commitment to accuracy over catalog size.

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