1921-P VAM-1A

Description

Designated as a die state sub-variety of the baseline VAM-1 pairing, the 1921-P VAM-1A documents an early variant of the normal dies for the most massively produced Morgan Dollar in history. The 1921 Philadelphia mintage of 44,690,000 pieces — the highest single-date output in the Morgan Dollar series — was struck after a seventeen-year hiatus stretching back to 1904. Congress authorized resumption under the Pittman Act of 1918, which had melted approximately 270 million silver dollars during World War I. This unprecedented output required an extraordinary number of working die pairs, and the "A" suffix on VAM-1A identifies the first documented die state variant beyond the baseline condition, recording progressive characteristics such as die cracks or polishing marks that developed during early service. George T. Morgan's design was struck in 90% silver at 26.73 grams on 38.1mm planchets. The 1921 Morgan Dollars are distinguished from earlier dates by their use of new hub designs with slightly different relief, as the original nineteenth-century hubs had been worn beyond use during the long production gap.

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