1899-S VAM-12

Description

Discovered by Jay Meltze in October 1981, the 1899-S VAM-12 Morgan Dollar is classified as a High S, Tilted Right mintmark variety under the Van Allen-Mallis cataloging system that has served as the definitive Morgan Dollar die variety reference since its initial publication in the 1970s. The classification code 12 III2 1 C3h (184) places this variety within the Type III2 obverse class with a C3h reverse configuration — specifically, a narrow medium-sized S mintmark positioned higher than normal and tilted to the right of vertical. The obverse carries Open 9's, a diagnostic feature where the loops of the nines in the date show wider openings than the closed 9 variant. San Francisco Mint production of Morgan Dollars in 1899 was part of the continuing series mandated by the Bland-Allison Act of 1878 and later the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890, which required the Treasury to purchase silver bullion and coin it into dollars. Mintmark positioning on Morgan Dollars was achieved through hand punching of individual working dies, and the height and tilt of the S mintmark on VAM-12 reflects the inherent variability in this manual process. The VAM system assigns sequential numbers within each date-mint combination, and VAM-12 represents a well-established variety that has been tracked by the VAM collecting community for over four decades since its original discovery. Die stage progression data and emission sequence information await further documentation.

External References