1901-P VAM-4

Description

Discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974, the 1901-P VAM-4 "Doubled Reverse" Morgan dollar identifies a reverse die exhibiting doubled design elements across a broad swath of the lower reverse — UNITED, ONE DOLLAR, MERICA, both stars, and the wreath all show doubling directed toward the rim. Cataloged as 4 III2 1 · C4a (Doubled Reverse) with die number 186, this variety is specifically noted as a proof issue, placing it among the scarce proof Morgan dollars of the early twentieth century. The Philadelphia Mint struck only 813 proof Morgan dollars in 1901, an extremely limited production that makes any proof-exclusive variety inherently rare. The C4a reverse classification, distinct from the standard C3 types, incorporates the doubled reverse characteristics as a defining feature of this die — the doubling on UNITED, ONE DOLLAR, MERICA, both flanking stars, and the wreath creates a comprehensive pattern of outward displacement suggesting the secondary hub impression spread centrifugally toward the rim. George T. Morgan designed the reverse eagle with outstretched wings, olive branch, and arrows, surrounded by the denomination and national inscriptions that bear the doubling on this die. Leonard Hinckley's February 1974 discovery established this variety during the early expansion of the VAM system when researchers were systematically examining proof Morgan dollars alongside their far more numerous business-strike counterparts. The rim-directed doubling pattern on multiple design elements indicates a hub misalignment that displaced the secondary impression outward from the center of the die across the entire lower reverse field. Proof Morgan dollar collectors prize varieties like VAM-4 both for the die characteristics and the extreme scarcity inherent in a proof-only attribution from a year with fewer than 1,000 proofs produced.

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