1878-P VAM-14.2B

Description

The 1878-P VAM-14.2B Morgan Dollar carries the classification I1 4 - A1I (Polished Ear, Doubled Date, Tripled Left Stars, Feed Finger Gouges and Break OF), documenting an obverse die with multiple notable features alongside a reverse showing progressive structural failure. The obverse (I1 4) combines a polished ear — where die maintenance filing or polishing smoothed the ear detail — with doubled date digits and tripled left stars, indicating that at least three hub impressions contributed to the star elements while two impressions created the date doubling. The reverse (A1 I) displays vertical die gouges at OF in the inscription, attributed to feed finger contact — marks left by the mechanical fingers that feed planchets into the coining press, which occasionally contact and gouge the die face. A die crack extends from the rim down to the O in OF, documenting progressive structural failure in the reverse die. This is described as a late die state, indicating these features developed after substantial production use. Since dates in 1878 Morgan Dollars were part of the master die rather than individually punched, the doubled date originated during the hub-to-die transfer process, and the tripled stars similarly resulted from three distinct hub impressions applied to the same working die. The Morgan Dollar was designed by George T. Morgan and struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 1878, the inaugural year of the series. Composed of 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter, the 1878-P is one of the most intensively studied dates due to multiple reverse hub types and extensive die variety documentation. The VAM-14.2B designation uses the decimal sub-numbering system to position this die state within the broader VAM-14 family, and the B suffix denotes a later documented state.

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