1896-P VAM-9

Description

Discovered by Maurice Dubreuil in January 1977 and revised in 2012, the 1896-P VAM-9 Morgan Dollar carries the classification III2 9 – C3a (Doubled 96, Over Polished Wings) with die pairing number 186. The obverse (III2 9) displays doubling on the 9 and 6 in the date 1896: the 9 shows a faint curved line just above the top loop, while the 6 exhibits both a long curved line and a short segment well above the top loop — an unusual doubling manifestation where the secondary impressions appear as isolated linear traces above the primary digits rather than as thickened or shadowed versions of the complete numerals. The reverse (C3a) features over-polished wings where the middle portions of both eagle wings have been excessively polished, resulting in missing portions of feathers — a die maintenance artifact where aggressive filing or polishing intended to remove clash marks or extend die life inadvertently removed design detail from the feather areas. The combination of obverse date doubling with reverse over-polishing documents two separate die history events: a hubbing anomaly on the obverse and a maintenance intervention on the reverse. George T. Morgan designed the coin, struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1896 in 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. The 1896-P had a mintage of approximately 9.98 million pieces. Maurice Dubreuil's original 1977 discovery was revised in 2012, likely to refine the reverse description as the over-polished wings became better understood. The floating curved lines above the 9 and 6 are subtle diagnostics requiring careful examination under magnification, while the over-polished wings with missing feather detail provide a more visually accessible reverse attribution feature.

External References