1896-S VAM-7

Description

Martin Field's April 1982 discovery of the 1896-S VAM-7 identified a doubled date variety on one of the scarcer San Francisco Morgan Dollars. Classified as III2 6 - C3a under the VAM system with the title "Doubled 6," this variety's primary diagnostic is the doubling visible at the top outside of the upper loop of the numeral 6 in the date — a hub doubling artifact that created a second impression of the digit's contour during die manufacture. The Die Pair Identification System (DPIS) assigns this variety LH3/RE4, providing a standardized die pairing reference within the broader VAM classification framework. The additional comment notes that the mintmark is "not set as far right as on VAM 8," a positional distinction that helps separate these two 1896-S die marriages when the primary diagnostics are ambiguous. San Francisco struck 5,000,000 Morgan Dollars in 1896, a modest output that makes the 1896-S a semi-key date in the series — circulated examples are readily available but Mint State survivors command significant premiums, particularly in MS-64 and above. The doubled 6 is the kind of date digit variety that appeals to collectors because it affects the area of the coin that naturally draws the eye first, making it more visually accessible than varieties that affect peripheral lettering or minor design elements. Morgan Dollar VAM collecting, pioneered by Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis in their groundbreaking 1971 reference work, has grown into one of the most comprehensive die variety disciplines in all of numismatics, with thousands of cataloged varieties spanning every date and mint in the series. The 1896-S VAM-7, with its clean and straightforward date doubling diagnostic, exemplifies the type of variety that both beginning and advanced VAM collectors find rewarding to pursue.

External References