1879-P VAM-7B

Description

Virginia Brownson and David Peltier jointly identified this Philadelphia Mint Morgan Dollar variety in 2014, and it is defined primarily by its reverse characteristics: a horizontal die gouge extending from the left side of the eagle's beak and a short die gouge from the left side of the eagle's neck. An early prooflike stage with die clashing and a faint line from the N is known but was not deemed strong enough to warrant a separate listing. Classified as 7B III2 7 with a C3a reverse, this variety shares its exact reverse die with VAM-7.2, but the two represent different die states — VAM-7B is the earlier state, carrying a prominent spike off the eagle's beak, while VAM-7.2 shows only a tiny trace of this spike remaining after die wear. Crucially, although 7B and 7.2 share the same reverse die, they do not share the same obverse die, making each a distinct die marriage. On the obverse, the 9 is slightly doubled. The relationship between VAM-7B and VAM-7.2 illustrates how VAM researchers track individual dies across multiple pairings to reconstruct the production sequence at the Philadelphia Mint.

External References