1921-S VAM-1B4c

Description

Pete Burchfield's November 2022 discovery added VAM-1B4c to the 1921-S Morgan Dollar catalog, documenting Die State 8 of the Thorn Head die marriage with an obverse unchanged from VAM-1B4b and a Reverse D2a carrying an added thin die gouge between E and D below the wreath bow. The hierarchical naming — 1B4c descending from 1B4b, 1B4a, and ultimately the parent 1B4 — traces a single obverse die's life through progressively advancing die states, each accumulating new markers while retaining characteristics from earlier stages. Classified as IV 1 None D2a, the obverse IV 1 designation reflects the 1921 Morgan Dollar's unique production context: dates were part of the master die rather than individually punched, eliminating the date position variations that generate much of the VAM catalog's content on earlier dates. San Francisco struck 21,695,000 Morgan Dollars in 1921, the highest S-mint Morgan Dollar production ever, as the Pittman Act of 1918 mandated the melting and replacement of millions of silver dollars. The thin die gouge between E and D below the wreath bow — the distinguishing feature separating VAM-1B4c from its predecessor — represents incremental die damage acquired during production, possibly from foreign material striking the die face or from a tool mark during maintenance. The DPIS note confirms that 1921 dates were part of the master die, contextualizing why 1921 VAM varieties rely more heavily on die state progression, die markers, and reverse characteristics than the date and mintmark positional variations that dominate earlier dates in the series.

External References