1889-P VAM-9A

Description

John Kohut's November 2006 discovery of VAM-9A documented a far slanted date with polishing lines on Liberty's head for the 1889 Philadelphia Mint Morgan Dollar, but this variety was subsequently eliminated and reclassified as 1889-P VAM-43A — a consolidation that reflects the VAM system's ongoing self-correction process. Classified under III29 with a C3a reverse and catalog number 190 before elimination, the obverse showed heavy polishing lines across the hair, ear, neck, lips, nose, eye, and hairline — extensive die maintenance evidence indicating aggressive die dressing by Mint personnel attempting to extend the die's service life. The far slanted date positioning represents a date punch alignment variation that places the numerals at an angle steeper than the normal die setting. Philadelphia struck approximately 21.7 million Morgan Dollars in 1889, the eleventh year of the series, and the heavy die polishing documented on this variety suggests the Mint was working to maximize die longevity during sustained production. The elimination and merger into VAM-43A demonstrates the research community's commitment to accuracy — when closer examination reveals that two separately listed varieties share the same die pair, they are consolidated under a single designation to maintain catalog integrity.

External References