1891-S VAM-11

Description

Discovered by Jym Braun in October 1999 and cataloged by VAMWorld as 11 III29 - C3a, the 1891-S VAM-11 Morgan dollar features the fascinating diagnostic of date digits 189 visible in the denticles below the date. The Morgan dollar was struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter and a reeded edge. San Francisco produced 5,296,000 Morgan dollars in 1891, a moderate mintage that places the 1891-S among the more accessible San Francisco dates in the series. The obverse classification III29 describes the variety's most distinctive feature: the tops of the digits 189 appear in the denticles as raised elements. Specifically, a raised bar appears in the denticle space below the 1, a slightly raised curved bar appears in the denticle space below and to the left of the 8, and a faint curved diagonal bar appears in the denticle space below the 9. These impressions in the denticles occurred when the date digits were punched so deeply or at such a low position that the upper portions of the punch impressions extended into the denticle zone at the rim of the die. This is a relatively unusual form of date anomaly because it indicates the date punch was either struck with excessive force or positioned lower than intended, driving the digit impressions beyond the normal field area into the die's border elements. The DPIS code 191 positions this date within the Van Allen cataloging system. Minted during the Gilded Age, when the great silver debates dominated American politics and the coinage of silver dollars was a central economic policy question, the 1891-S represents one of the final years of original Morgan dollar production before the series was suspended in 1904. The denticle impression diagnostic makes VAM-11 one of the more visually interesting varieties in the 1891-S Morgan dollar census.

External References