1898-S VAM-16

Description

Discovered in 2010, VAM-16 for the 1898 San Francisco Mint Morgan Dollar is classified as 16 III2 5 C3i with dual diagnostics of a near (leftward) date position combined with a high S mintmark. The obverse (III2 5) shows the date set further left than normal — a positional variation created during the date logotype punching process, where the date was punched into the die at a different horizontal position than standard. The reverse (C3i) carries a type IV S mintmark set high with a slight tilt to the right, and the notation that this combines the high S mintmark with the near date of VAM-8 III2 5 obverse connects this variety to the broader die study network. The 1898-S Morgan Dollar was struck at the San Francisco Mint with a mintage of approximately 4.1 million pieces, a moderate production figure for the series. San Francisco Morgan Dollars from the late 1890s are generally well-regarded for their strike quality compared to contemporaneous New Orleans issues. George T. Morgan's Liberty Head design was twenty years into production by 1898, and the die preparation process — with dates and mintmarks each punched separately into working dies — created the positional variations that the VAM system catalogs. The combination of date placement and mintmark position anomalies on a single coin makes VAM-16 a two-feature variety that appeals to collectors who appreciate the die preparation nuances documented by the Van Allen-Mallis research program.

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