1890-S VAM-1I

Description

Discovered in September 2011 by Patrick Mullen, the 1890-S VAM-1I Morgan Dollar is distinguished by extensive die breaks running the full length of both wreaths on the reverse — a dramatic failure pattern rarely seen across the entire design. Die cracks extending through both left and right wreath branches indicate advanced structural failure where the die fractured along the relief lines of the wreath design, the thinnest and most stress-prone areas of the die face. The catalog attributes this unusual crack pattern to the die having been basined with too much curvature — an excessive concavity ground into the die face during preparation that created uneven stress distribution during striking. When a die is over-basined, the outer areas absorb disproportionate force, accelerating cracking along vulnerable design elements. The 1I suffix places this as a late die-state entry within the VAM-1 family, tracking the die well past its optimal working condition. San Francisco struck 8,230,373 Morgan Dollars in 1890. Mullen's discovery documented a production anomaly that illuminates die preparation practices at the nineteenth-century Mint. Occurs with 190 reeds and advanced stage of reverse die breaks. Tiny die chips at top of each wing.

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