1889-S VAM-7

Description

Discovered by Leroy Van Allen in June 1977, the 1889-S VAM-7 is a Morgan dollar variety struck at the San Francisco Mint, classified as 7 III2 1 - C3d and designated S/S Middle. Leroy Van Allen, co-creator of the VAM attribution system alongside A. George Mallis, personally discovered this variety, lending it particular historical significance within the VAM collecting community. The Morgan dollar was struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter and a reeded edge. San Francisco produced 700,000 Morgan dollars in 1889, one of the lowest mintages in the entire Morgan dollar series and a key date that commands significant premiums in all grades. The reverse, classified as C3d, exhibits the variety's defining characteristic: the S mintmark was repunched with the original impression showing as a curved horizontal line within the middle of the upper loop opening. This S/S (S over S) mintmark indicates the engraver struck the mintmark punch twice, with the first impression slightly displaced from the final position, leaving a visible remnant of the initial punch within the upper loop of the S. Additional observations note that the mintmark reads as set toward the right with a slight tilt to the right. The loop of the mintmark appears filled, a characteristic that may result from die polish, metal flow, or the overlapping of the two mintmark impressions. An important cataloging note states that both VAM-7 and 1889-S VAM-12 share the C3d S/S middle mintmark characteristic, indicating these two varieties share the same reverse die but are distinguished by their obverse die pairings. The extreme scarcity of the 1889-S date, combined with the repunched mintmark feature, makes VAM-7 a particularly notable variety in the Morgan dollar census.

External References