1879-P VAM-7C

Description

Discovered in 2017 by Mark Witkower, the 1879-P VAM-7C Morgan Dollar is classified III2 7 - C3a for Doubled 9, Overpolished Jaw and Lower Hair. The obverse die reveals a weak jaw with a straightened edge and visible gaps in the lower hair — artifacts of over-polishing, where Mint personnel ground down the die surface to extend its working life but removed too much metal, softening or eliminating fine design detail in the process. A heavy vertical polishing line to the right of the lower cotton leaf serves as the primary die marker. The doubled 9 in the date provides the attribution pickup point, with the secondary 9 impression indicating the date punch or hub was not perfectly aligned during die preparation. Over-polished Morgan Dollar dies are documented across many dates, as the Philadelphia Mint faced constant pressure to maximize die longevity during periods of heavy silver dollar production mandated by the Bland-Allison Act of 1878. The 1879 Philadelphia issue had a mintage of 14,806,000 coins. Comparison with the 1879-P VAM-91 is recommended to distinguish between related die states. Struck in 90% silver and 10% copper at 26.73 grams, 38.1 mm diameter with a reeded edge, the Morgan Dollar's design by George T. Morgan remained in production from 1878 to 1904 and again in 1921, producing one of the most extensively studied series in American numismatics.

External References