1878 Morgan Dollar - Reverse of 1879 - VAM-227

Description

Attributed within the VAM system created by Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis, the 1878-P VAM-227 on the Reverse of 1879 belongs to the inaugural year of Morgan Dollar production — a date of exceptional significance to die variety collectors. George T. Morgan's Liberty Head design debuted in 1878, and the Philadelphia Mint employed numerous die pairs during that first year of production, generating one of the most complex die marriage catalogs in American numismatics. The "Reverse of 1879" designation identifies the tail feather configuration: seven tail feathers arranged in a parallel pattern, as opposed to the Reverse of 1878 which features eight tail feathers in a slightly different arrangement. This distinction arose because the Mint modified the reverse hub partway through 1878 production, reducing the feather count from eight to seven, and the revised hub continued into 1879 — hence the naming convention. The high VAM number of 227 reflects the extraordinary depth of die study applied to this first-year date. Morgan Dollars were struck in 90% silver at 26.73 grams on 38.1mm planchets. Collectors pursuing the 1878-P VAM set navigate one of the most intricate die marriage catalogs in the series, with each VAM number documenting a unique combination of obverse and reverse die characteristics.

External References