1899-S VAM-2

Description

One of the earliest documented Morgan Dollar die varieties, VAM-2 was discovered by Francis Klaes in June 1963 — three years before Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis published their landmark reference that would formalize the VAM classification system. Klaes was a pioneer of Morgan Dollar die variety research during an era when systematic cataloging of die pairs was still in its infancy. VAM plate notation 1 III2 1 - C3b identifies this variety with obverse die III2 1 featuring normal dies with open 9's, paired with reverse die C3b bearing a wide, large S mintmark centered in position. Despite being cataloged as VAM-2, the plate begins with "1" — a numbering artifact from the early classification system. The reverse die C3b is shared with 1899-S VAM-8, establishing a die link between the two varieties and confirming that the San Francisco Mint reused this reverse die across multiple pairings during the 1899-S production run. The wide S mintmark and shared reverse die are the primary diagnostics for attribution of this historically significant variety.

External References