1894-S VAM-8

Description

Among the cataloged die pairings for one of the Morgan series' semi-key dates, VAM-8 documents a specific obverse-reverse die combination from the 1894 San Francisco production of just 1,260,000 silver dollars. That limited mintage — one of the lowest in the series — means the San Francisco Mint employed few working die pairs, constraining the total universe of possible varieties and giving each cataloged entry proportionally greater significance. The scarcity of the base coin amplifies the difficulty of locating any specific variety, as fewer coins survive to be examined and attributed. George T. Morgan's design was struck in 90% silver at 26.73 grams on 38.1mm planchets. Produced during the final decade of first-era Morgan coinage (1878-1904), the 1894-S reflects declining silver dollar mintages as Treasury vaults filled with earlier production. For variety collectors, the intersection of semi-key-date desirability and limited die pair availability makes every 1894-S VAM a challenging pursuit, and VAM-8's catalog position indicates it was not among the earliest discoveries for this date.

External References