1887-S VAM-1

Description

As the VAM-1 baseline die pairing for the 1887-S Morgan Dollar, this variety carries the formal designation 1 III2 1 with reverse die C3a and the straightforward classification "Normal Die," with catalogue identification number 185. Far from being uninteresting, the VAM-1 serves as the reference standard against which all other 1887-S die marriages are compared, making precise documentation of its features essential for the attribution process. The obverse die III2 1 is classified as a normal die of the III2 type, yet careful examination reveals that some specimens display die chips between the loops of the first 8 on the left side and on the second 8 on the right side of the date — progressive die deterioration features that developed during the die's service life and that can help establish the die state of individual specimens within the VAM-1 production sequence. These inter-loop die chips appear as small raised dots or irregular bumps in the enclosed spaces of the 8s, formed when microscopic fragments of die steel fractured away from the stressed interior curves of the numeral cavities. The reverse C3a is equally designated as normal, carrying a medium IV S mintmark described as centered and upright — a positioning that contrasts with the tilted, shifted, or doubled mintmarks found on other 1887-S VAM numbers. Struck at the San Francisco Mint during the height of the Gilded Age silver debates, the 1887-S had a production run of approximately 1.77 million Morgan Dollars — a moderate San Francisco mintage that places it in the mid-range of collectibility for the series. George T. Morgan's obverse portrait of Liberty and the heraldic eagle reverse are rendered in 90% silver at 26.73 grams across a 38.1mm diameter planchet.

External References