1889-P VAM-1D2

Description

Identified in August 2008, the 1889-P VAM-1D2 Morgan Dollar is classified as III2-1 C3a with die pairing number 190 and carries the designation "Die Scratch Cotton Leaf, Clashed Obverse n & t." This variety documents a double clash event — the obverse die was struck against the reverse die without a planchet between them on two separate occasions, leaving incuse (recessed) ghost impressions of reverse design elements transferred onto the obverse die face. The clashed impressions appear as a faint partial incuse "n" from the word "In" on the reverse, visible next to Liberty's neck on the obverse, and a faint partial incuse "t" from the word "Trust," showing in the right hair vee of Liberty's lower hair edge. These transferred letter fragments are reversed (mirror-image) on the die and therefore appear correctly oriented on the struck coin, providing an unmistakable diagnostic that cannot be confused with die deterioration or other anomalies. The "double clash" designation in the comments confirms this die experienced at least two separate clash events, meaning the dies came together without a planchet at least twice during production — each clash potentially adding or reinforcing the transferred design elements. Additionally, a die scratch is noted on a cotton leaf of the reverse wreath, providing a secondary attribution point. The Morgan Dollar was designed by George T. Morgan and struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1889 from 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. The 1889-P had a mintage of approximately 21.7 million pieces, supporting extensive circulation demand. Die clashes were a relatively common occurrence in the high-speed production environment of the late nineteenth century, but double clashes — where the same die pair clashed on multiple occasions — document repeated incidents that suggest either the collar mechanism or feed system for this press experienced intermittent failures during the production run.

External References