1887-P VAM-7

Description

Cataloged as 7 III2 7 - C3a with plate photo 190, this 1887 Philadelphia Mint Morgan Dollar carries the designation "Near Date, Doubled 18 Weak" and was discovered by George Mallis in June 1965. Mallis is the co-creator of the entire VAM classification system — alongside Leroy Van Allen, whose combined initials form the "VAM" acronym — making discoveries attributed to either researcher landmarks in the catalog's history. The obverse diagnostic shows the digits 18 in the date doubled slightly at the bottom, with the overall date set further left than normal, producing the "Near Date" component of the designation. A catalog note records that VAM-7 is a duplicate listing of VAM-4, indicating these two entries document the same die variety and that one was cataloged independently before the duplication was recognized — a consequence of the iterative, multi-decade nature of VAM research where different researchers occasionally document the same die under separate numbers. Obverse die class III2 7 designates a modified die in subclass 7, paired with normal reverse C3a. George T. Morgan's Liberty Head design, struck at the Philadelphia Mint on 90% silver planchets at 26.73 grams. The 1887 Philadelphia Morgan Dollar had a substantial mintage, and its dies have generated extensive VAM documentation.

External References