1891-P VAM-1A

Description

Discovered by Oscar Simpson in August 1978, the 1891-P VAM-1A "Die Chip on Forehead" Morgan dollar documents a small die chip on Liberty's forehead above the eye — one of the earliest documented minor-defect varieties for this Philadelphia date. Cataloged as 1A III2 1 · C3a (Die Chip on Forehead) with die number 190, this variety pairs a standard Obverse III2 1 with a normal C3a reverse, placing the diagnostic interest entirely on the obverse die defect. George T. Morgan's silver dollar obverse features Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap encircled by a wreath of wheat and cotton, with the forehead area above the eye sitting within a smoothly contoured facial zone where a die chip becomes readily apparent under magnification. Philadelphia struck approximately 8.69 million Morgan dollars in 1891, a moderate production year that falls in the later portion of the series when mintages had declined from the early 1880s peaks driven by the Bland-Allison Act. Die chips occur when small fragments of die steel break away from the die surface, leaving a void that fills with planchet metal during striking and transfers as a raised bump or irregular protrusion on the finished coin. The forehead location — a broad, relatively smooth surface on the portrait — makes this chip particularly conspicuous compared to chips in textured areas like the hair detail where they might be obscured. Oscar Simpson's August 1978 discovery dates to the early expansion period of the VAM catalog when researchers were systematically documenting die characteristics across all Morgan dollar dates. Neither DPIS entries nor emission sequence data have been recorded for this variety, and the research on this die pair's production history remains incomplete. Collectors should examine the forehead area above Liberty's right eye under 10-15x magnification for the raised die chip diagnostic.

External References