1887-S VAM-1B

Description

Discovered by James Cerny in February 2010 and revised by John Coxe in November 2010, the 1887-S VAM-1B is classified as 1B III2 1 – C3a (Die Gouges Wing). The obverse die (III2 1) displays fine polishing lines in the fields. The C3a reverse is defined by a long vertical die gouge consisting of three lines in the lower middle of the eagle's right wing outer feathers, accompanied by a shorter vertical scratch to the right of the bottom gouge. The S mintmark is a Type IV with filled loops, and light fine raised lines appear in the reverse fields. The cataloging attribution was formally corrected per the LVA (Leroy Van Allen, co-creator of the VAM system) on February 25, 2011, confirming that the discoverers and revisionists listed are correct as recorded. San Francisco Morgan dollars of 1887 had a modest mintage of approximately 1.77 million pieces, making them less common than their Philadelphia counterparts. The distinctive three-line die gouge on the eagle's wing serves as the primary diagnostic for this variety and is visible under standard magnification.

External References