1890-P VAM-17A

Description

Discovered by Bill Van Note in March 2005, the 1890-P VAM-17A Morgan dollar carries the descriptive title "Doubled Ear, Reverse Legend, Slanted Date, Tripled Clashed Obverse n." Formally classified as III217 C3b (181), this variety presents a fascinating combination of die characteristics. The obverse die is a triple clashed die, meaning it was struck against the reverse die without a planchet between them on three separate occasions, leaving faint triple partial incuse impressions of the letter "n" from "In" (reverse inscription) appearing next to Liberty's neck. This tripled clash is a remarkable die event that speaks to the coin's production history at the Philadelphia Mint. The 1890 Morgan dollar is struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. George T. Morgan's design underwent subtle hub modifications throughout its production run from 1878 to 1921, and the doubled ear feature combined with the doubled reverse legend and slanted date make this a multi-faceted variety. The Philadelphia Mint produced over 16.8 million Morgan dollars in 1890, making this date readily available in lower grades, though finding it with the VAM-17A characteristics requires careful examination. This variety belongs to the Morgan Dollars 1878-1921 series, where clashed die varieties are among the most visually compelling attributions available to VAM collectors.

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