1891-S VAM-1F

Description

Discovered by Brent Fogelberg in May 2007 and subsequently eliminated and incorporated into 1891-S VAM-5C, this variety was originally cataloged as VAM-1F of the 1891 San Francisco Mint Morgan Dollar — a Die Gouge Above L variety. The obverse, classified III2 1, features a short thick vertical die gouge above the letter L in LIBERTY, along with a die chip on Liberty's eye. Die gouges result from damage to the die surface, either from contact with foreign objects or from handling during die preparation, and they create raised marks on struck coins that serve as identifying die markers. The classification 1F III2 1 with reverse C3a placed this within the Van Allen-Mallis framework. Its elimination and incorporation into VAM-5C means that what was initially thought to be a separate die variety was later determined to be the same die documented under a different catalog entry — a common occurrence in VAM research as more specimens surface and allow researchers to match die characteristics across previously separate listings. The 1891-S Morgan Dollar is among the more available San Francisco dates of the series, though individual die varieties range widely in rarity.

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