1921-D VAM-1AW

Description

Discovered by Jack Lee in July 2004, the 1921-D VAM-1AW Morgan Dollar carries the descriptive title "Die Scratches ITE" in the Van Allen-Mallis catalog. The variety is identified by fine die scratches running from the letter I to the T and from the T to the E in UNITED on the obverse, visible under moderate magnification as thin raised lines transferred from incuse scratches on the die surface. The 1921 date holds special significance in the Morgan Dollar series as the final year of production — Congress authorized a resumption of silver dollar coinage in 1921 using the Morgan design before transitioning to the Peace Dollar later that year. A notable characteristic of all 1921 Morgan Dollars is that the dates were part of the master die rather than individually punched into working dies, a production method that differed from the hand-punched dates used in the original 1878-1904 production run. The Denver Mint struck 1921 Morgan Dollars in substantial quantity as part of the Pittman Act replacement coinage. VAM-1AW belongs to the extensive VAM-1 family of die varieties, where suffixed designations identify specific die characteristics within the normal die category.

External References