1878-P VAM-40A

Description

Sharing the VAM-40A designation with its Reverse of 1878 counterpart, this die marriage appears under the Reverse of 1879 parent, which features the revised eagle design with seven tail feathers and a different arrangement of the breast feathers compared to the original 1878 reverse. Discovered in 2016, this variety is classified under die marriage II/I 8 with reverse die B/Aj and designated 5 TF with Break ER. The Late Die State reverse die B/Aj shows peripheral die cracks at the tops of legend letters, with radial die cracks running from the rim to the top of the E in AMERICA and a displaced field break strongest at the ER tops. The 1878 Morgan Dollar is unique in the series for having been produced with multiple reverse hub designs within a single year as the Mint experimented with the number of tail feathers, making the distinction between Reverse of 1878 and Reverse of 1879 parent types essential for accurate attribution. Because dates were part of the master die in 1878, there is no variation in date position. Collectors pursuing complete VAM-40A coverage need both reverse type variants.

External References