1890-S VAM-18

Description

Discovered by Steve Sabella in April 1980 and subsequently superseded by VAM-45 in September 2023, the 1890-S VAM-18 Morgan Dollar is designated as a Doubled Reverse variety, cataloged as 18 III2 1 - C3k. The reverse doubling is comprehensive: the legend, motto, and wreath are all doubled towards the rim, indicating the secondary hub impression on the reverse die was displaced outward from the center, pushing doubled images of all peripheral design elements toward the coin's edge. The supersession by VAM-45 reflects the ongoing refinement process within the VAM cataloging system, where research sometimes reveals that varieties initially cataloged separately actually share die characteristics with other listings or require reclassification based on new evidence. Community research has established that VAM-18 is clearly the same die pair as 1890-S VAM-45/45A, and that this reverse die was also shared with 1890-S VAM-1G and 1890-S VAM-19 — meaning the doubled reverse die was paired with multiple different obverse dies during its service life, creating several distinct VAM numbers from a single reverse die. The Morgan Dollar was designed by George T. Morgan, struck at the San Francisco Mint in 90% silver at 26.73 grams and 38.1 mm diameter. The 1890-S had a mintage of approximately 8.23 million pieces. The rim-directed doubling on the legend and motto creates a characteristic outward shadow effect on the reverse lettering that is most easily detected on the taller letters of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, where the secondary images extend toward the denticles and rim.

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