1897-S VAM-7

Description

Discovered by Guy Messing in October 1975 during the early years of systematic Morgan Dollar die variety research, this VAM-7 of the 1897 San Francisco Mint Morgan Dollar presents three distinctive features: a very near date positioned much further left than normal, a doubled numeral 1 at the top surface, and a numeral 7 tilted to the left. Classified as obverse die III2 number 5 with a C3a reverse, the combination of near date, doubled digit, and tilted digit indicates complex die preparation history where the date logotype punch was applied at an unusual position and angle. The 1897-S Morgan Dollar has a mintage of 5.825 million pieces, a moderate production run for the San Francisco Mint during the late Gilded Age. San Francisco, established during the California Gold Rush in 1854, was a major silver dollar production facility throughout the Morgan era. Guy Messing was among the pioneering researchers who laid the groundwork for VAM collecting in the 1970s, when Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis were compiling their landmark catalog. The very near date position, where the digits sit substantially closer to the rim than typical, combined with the doubled 1 and tilted 7, creates a multi-feature variety that requires careful examination of the entire date area for proper attribution. VAM-7 demonstrates the level of punch positioning variability that characterized hand-set date logotypes on 19th-century coinage.

External References