1902-P VAM-11

Description

Discovered by Leroy Van Allen himself in July 1982 — co-creator of the VAM classification system that bears his name — the 1902-P VAM-11 Morgan Dollar is classified as III2 2 – C4/C3f (2 Olive Reverse) with die pairing number 186 and carries the Proof designation, making this a variety specifically documented on proof strikes from the Philadelphia Mint. The reverse (C4/C3f) features the "2 Olive Reverse" — a shallow extra olive positioned to the right of the primary olive and connected to the branch — along with extensive doubling visible on multiple reverse elements: the top of the branch at the right of olives at the base of the leaf clusters, the top of the upper leaf in the lower leaf cluster, the top of the lower three arrow feathers, the back of the lower arrow head, feathers in the upper middle of the eagle\'s left wing, and the right side of the eagle\'s nostril. This widespread reverse doubling across leaves, arrows, feathers, and anatomical detail indicates a significant hub displacement that affected nearly every design element in the right portion of the reverse. George T. Morgan designed the dollar, which was struck in proof format at the Philadelphia Mint in 1902 — a year when proof Morgan Dollar production was limited to a small number of specially struck coins for collectors. Composed of 90% silver and 10% copper at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter, proof Morgan Dollars feature superior detail and mirror-like fields that make doubled features more readily visible than on business strikes. Van Allen\'s personal discovery of this variety underscores his central role in building the comprehensive Morgan Dollar attribution framework that now encompasses thousands of documented die marriages.

External References