1898-P VAM-11

Description

Discovered in 2012, the 1898-P VAM-11 Morgan Dollar is classified as 11 III211 - C3a (Doubled Right 8) with die pairing number 189. The obverse (III211) presents the right 8 in the date 1898 with slight doubling at the top and right inside of the lower loop — a subtle positional anomaly produced during the hubbing process where the secondary hub impression was displaced just enough to create a visible secondary contour on this specific digit while leaving adjacent date elements relatively unaffected. The date is positioned at the right side of its normal lateral range. A die marker consisting of a horizontal polishing line in the space between the right wheat leaf and the top cotton leaf on the reverse helps confirm attribution beyond the doubled digit itself. The Date Position In Space (DPIS) measurement is recorded as C3/B45RE. The reverse (C3a) is designated as a normal die. A community note adds important nuance: some specimens do not display the die crack below the UR of PLURIBUS near the LIBERTY banner — indicating this crack developed during production and exists only on later die state specimens, making its presence or absence useful for determining relative strike sequence within this variety's production run. The Morgan Dollar was designed by George T. Morgan and struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1898 in 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. The 1898-P had a mintage of approximately 5.9 million pieces. The subtle nature of the doubled right 8 — affecting only a portion of one digit in the four-digit date — demonstrates how small-magnitude hub displacement can produce diagnostically valid but visually challenging varieties that require careful examination under magnification for confident attribution.

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