1896-P VAM-1F

Description

Discovered on October 31, 2011 by Brian Raines and cataloged by VAMWorld, VAM-1F on the 1896-P Morgan Dollar carries the designation III2 1 paired with reverse C3a and the title "Collar Clash Obverse" — a relatively unusual variety type within the VAM system where the edge collar of the striking press clashed against the obverse die, leaving a raised impression on the rim area below the date. Collar clashes occur when the collar — the cylindrical ring that surrounds the planchet during striking and forms the coin's edge — makes unintended contact with the die face, impressing a section of its circular profile onto the die surface. On subsequently struck coins, this collar impression appears as a raised arc or line near the rim, distinct from the normal denticle pattern. The obverse die marker is documented as polishing lines at the hair edge below Liberty's ear, positioning this attribution fingerprint in a recessed area of the design that tends to retain die preparation marks longer than exposed high-relief surfaces. An additional undocumented observation from the VAMWorld community notes that while the variety is not formally listed for this feature, the coin also shows a 9 visible in the denticles — a secondary anomaly that may relate to the collar clash event or represent a separate die characteristic. The "1F" suffix indicates this is the sixth sub-variety identified within the VAM-1 die marriage family, documenting progressive states and additional features discovered over the decades since the base VAM-1 was originally cataloged. Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 90% silver and 10% copper at 26.73 grams, the 1896-P Morgan Dollar had a mintage of approximately 9.98 million pieces. Collar clash varieties add a mechanical-process dimension to the VAM classification system that goes beyond the more common date and mintmark punch variations.

External References