1904-S VAM-1A

Description

Discovered by Barbara Goldfreed in September 1978, the 1904-S VAM-1A "Die Gouge in STATES" Morgan dollar features a diagonal die gouge cutting through the letter A in STATES on the reverse of George T. Morgan's design. Cataloged as 1A III2 1 · C4a (Die Gouge in STATES), this variety places its primary diagnostic on the reverse — less common in the VAM catalog, where many varieties are defined by obverse characteristics such as date position and profile details. San Francisco struck approximately 2.3 million Morgan dollars in 1904, making it the final regular-issue S-mint Morgan dollar before production ceased (the Philadelphia and New Orleans mints also struck their last regular-issue Morgan dollars in 1904, though all three facilities would briefly resume in 1921). The diagonal die gouge through the A in STATES likely originated during die preparation — when a sharp tool or foreign particle was dragged across the die surface — or from damage incurred during the die's working life. On struck coins, the gouge appears as a raised diagonal line cutting through the A, distinguishable from a die crack by its clean, linear profile and from a scratch by its presence on every coin struck from this die. Barbara Goldfreed's 1978 discovery contributed to the early expansion of the VAM catalog during a period when researchers were systematically examining Morgan dollar reverses for die-specific characteristics beyond the more commonly studied mintmark variations. The C4a reverse classification provides the die pairing information, and emission sequence data remains unlisted. Collectors should examine the A in STATES under 15x magnification, looking for a raised diagonal line that traverses the letter — a feature that should appear identical on every confirmed specimen of this variety.

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