1901-P VAM-16

Description

A HOT 50 designated variety, this Philadelphia Mint Morgan Dollar was discovered by Jeff Oxman in October 2001 and cataloged as die pair 189 with the Doubled Ear attribution. VAM-16 shares its obverse die with VAM-5, but the two are distinguished by their reverses: instead of the C4/C3 two-olive reverse on VAM-5, VAM-16 is paired with a single-olive C4 reverse. PCGS now differentiates between VAM-5 and VAM-16 in its holder attributions, though this distinction was not always maintained, and some VAM-16 specimens exist in older PCGS holders labeled as VAM-5. The HOT 50 designation marks this as one of the most sought-after Morgan Dollar varieties. Struck in 90% silver (0.7734 oz ASW), the 1901-P had a mintage of approximately 6.9 million pieces. The doubled ear feature is consistent across both VAM-5 and VAM-16 since they share the same obverse die, making the reverse olive count the critical distinguishing characteristic. Collectors should examine the olive branch when attributing between these two related die marriages, particularly on coins in older holders predating the PCGS differentiation.

External References