1879-P VAM-16

Description

Discovered by Maurice Dubreuil in February 1977, this Philadelphia Morgan dollar is cataloged as VAM-16 under classification III2 16 with a C3a reverse, titled Doubled Date, carrying a rarity rating of 180. All four date digits exhibit hub doubling. The 1 shows doubling at the upper left as a vertical step on the side of the serif. The 8 is slightly doubled on the lower left outside of the upper loop with a die chip between the loops on the left side. The right side of the 7's lower serif is doubled along with the bottom of the crossbar. Both loops of the 9 show slight doubling on the left outside, and this is an open 9 variety. The reverse carries a normal C3a die with no distinguishing features. The late die state of VAM-16 was previously cataloged as 1879-P VAM-51, which has since been delisted and folded back into the VAM-16 designation. The die chip between the 8's loops provides a particularly useful quick diagnostic, as it creates a visible bridge of metal between the upper and lower portions of the digit.

External References