1899-P VAM-1

Description

Serving as the base variety for the 1899-P Morgan Dollar date, VAM-1 carries the classification III2 1·C3a under the name Normal Die, Open 9's. The III2 1 obverse die is documented as a polished VAM-2, with the doubling formerly visible on the right 9 removed through die polishing. Die scratches in the eagle's left wing, carried over from the VAM-2 reverse die, remain as inherited markers and help confirm the relationship. Analysts have noted that the open 9 numerals on VAM-1 likely result from polishing the 1899-P VAM-2A, bringing forward the open-digit characteristic by smoothing the overlapping doubled impression. This kind of die polishing relationship — where one variety is effectively a later stage of another — is common in Morgan Dollar VAM collecting. The 1899-P had a mintage of approximately 12.29 million coins, and Philadelphia examples without mintmarks are differentiated from branch mint coinage entirely by die-specific characteristics such as these. VAM-1 is the reference point from which all other 1899-P die pairings are distinguished.

External References