1921-S VAM-10

Description

Michael Fey's November 2004 discovery of the 1921-S VAM-10 Morgan Dollar revealed a die pair subjected to extensive polishing that left heavy raised lines across both surfaces. The doubled right stars — where hub displacement created secondary star impressions on the right side of the obverse — provide the primary variety attribution. However, the dominant visual characteristic is the polishing itself: aggressive abrasive maintenance created a network of raised parallel and crossing lines that transfer as a distinctive surface texture. Indented dots scattered across the surfaces may originate from a rusted die, where oxidation pits in the steel transferred as small raised points on struck coins. These rust-related features suggest the die may have been stored in humid conditions between uses. San Francisco struck 21,695,000 Morgan Dollars in 1921, the series' final year before the Peace Dollar replacement. The combination of doubled stars with extreme polishing and possible rust pitting documents a die that experienced both manufacturing anomalies and environmental degradation — a study in multiple categories of die deterioration. =1921-S VAM-10 Doubled Right Stars, Polished Obverse & Reverse= Discovered by Michael Fey, November 2004.

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