1897-P VAM-4

Description

Discovered by Bill Fivaz in November 1974 — the co-author of the Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties — the 1897 Morgan Dollar VAM-4 shows the top of the final digit 7 doubled at the left serif and as a fine secondary line along the top of the numeral. The obverse die (III2 4) pairs with reverse die C3a, and the die pair identification sequence (DPIS) is LE3/RH4, providing die state diagnostic information. Date digit doubling that affects a single numeral, as seen here on the 7 alone, suggests the shift occurred during a secondary hubbing impression that was slightly offset from the first, with the displacement most visible at the top and left serif where the angles create the most prominent overlap. Bill Fivaz's involvement in the discovery adds numismatic provenance — few attributors have contributed more to the systematic study of die varieties across all American coin series. The 1897 Philadelphia Morgan Dollar was produced in the waning years of the original series, and VAM-4's clean date doubling diagnostic makes it a straightforward variety to confirm under magnification.

External References