1891-P VAM-14A

Description

Discovered in 2012, the 1891-P VAM-14A Morgan Dollar carries the designation "Doubled Ear, Far Date, Beveled Above ST" with the classification III2 12 - C3a and die pairing number 190. The obverse die (type III2 12) displays a doubled ear on Liberty's portrait — a feature where the ear punch was impressed more than once during die preparation, creating visible traces of a second ear impression offset from the primary. The "Far Date" component indicates that the date numerals are positioned further from the rim denticles than standard placement, a variation in date punch positioning that occurred during the manual die preparation process. The C3a reverse die shows slight beveling of the field at the denticles above ST in STATES, attributed to feeder contact — physical contact between the die surface and the mechanism that feeds planchets into the striking chamber. Feeder contact marks represent evidence of mechanical interaction between the die and production equipment that occurs outside of the normal striking cycle, creating localized alterations to the die surface that transfer to struck coins. The Philadelphia Mint produced approximately 8.7 million Morgan Dollars in 1891, a moderate mintage that places the 1891-P among the later standard-production Philadelphia issues. The three-part attribution — doubled ear, far date, and beveled field — provides a rich diagnostic profile that combines design punch anomalies (doubled ear, far date positioning) with production equipment evidence (feeder beveling), creating a variety that documents multiple aspects of the die preparation and coin production process in a single collectible piece.

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