1890-S VAM-4

Description

Discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974, the 1890-S VAM-4 Morgan Dollar carries the revised classification III2 2 C3d (S/S Right) Doubled 1-9 with die pairing number 188. The obverse (III2 2) presents doubling on two date digits: the numeral 1 shows doubling as a horizontal spike below the upper crossbar, and some specimens display faint shallow doubling at the top outside of the 9 — with the variability in 9 doubling visibility across specimens suggesting the doubling is near the threshold of detection and may be more or less apparent depending on strike quality and preservation. Additionally, the ear is slightly doubled at the top right inside and bottom outside. The reverse (C3d) features an S/S mintmark doubled to the right — where the San Francisco mintmark punch was applied twice, with the initial impression placed slightly left of the final position, leaving a trace of the first S visible to the right within the loops of the primary S. Community commentary notes that this variety shares its reverse die with 1890-S VAM-5, establishing a die lineage connection between the two varieties through the common S/S reverse. The Morgan Dollar was designed by George T. Morgan and struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1890 in 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. The 1890-S had a mintage of approximately 8.2 million pieces. Leonard Hinckley's February 1974 discovery of this variety came during the formative period of Morgan Dollar variety research, and the horizontal spike below the 1's crossbar remains one of the more visually distinctive doubled date features in the 1890-S die variety population, serving as a quick initial identification point before examining the more subtle ear doubling and reverse mintmark repunching.

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