1901-S VAM-1

Description

Originally discovered by Neil Shafer in July 1964, the 1901-S VAM-1 represents the Normal Die baseline marriage for the San Francisco Mint Morgan Dollar of this date. Classified as III2 1 - C3a (Normal Die) with obverse type III2 featuring a closed 9 in the date, this VAM establishes the reference standard against which all other 1901-S die marriages are compared. The obverse is identified as a normal die of the III2 type — the Roman numeral system used in VAM classification organizes obverse dies by portrait style and design characteristics inherited from the original George T. Morgan hub design. The closed 9 diagnostic refers to the loop at the top of the numeral 9 in the date fully connecting to the vertical stroke, distinguishing it from open 9 varieties where a gap exists. The reverse is classified as C3a, described as a normal die of the C3 type carrying a large V S mint mark that is centered and upright — the "V" prefix in early VAM notation indicating a vertical orientation for the S mintmark rather than tilted left or right. The 1901-S Morgan Dollar is a scarce date in the series, with a mintage of approximately 2.28 million business strikes from the San Francisco facility. As VAM-1 — the normal die — this variety serves the essential cataloging function of defining what "normal" looks like for this date, enabling attributors to identify deviations in subsequent VAM assignments. The VAM system, developed by Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis beginning in the 1960s, has documented thousands of Morgan and Peace Dollar die marriages and remains the definitive reference for silver dollar variety attribution.

External References