1879-S VAM-3A

Description

VAM-3A of the 1879-S Morgan Dollar documents the first die state of the VAM-3 die marriage from San Francisco Mint production during the second year of Morgan Dollar coinage. The A suffix designates the earliest documented stage of this die pair's working life, before any significant die deterioration features had developed — representing the cleanest, most pristine condition of the VAM-3 die surfaces. The 1879-S Morgan Dollar is a highly significant date in the series, distinguished by the existence of multiple reverse hub types: the 1879-S was struck with both the "Reverse of 1878" (flat-breast eagle, eight tail feathers) and the "Reverse of 1879" (round-breast eagle, seven tail feathers), creating one of the most famous reverse hub variety distinctions in all of Morgan Dollar collecting. While VAM-3A's specific reverse type depends on which hub variant its dies carry, the coexistence of two reverse hub designs within the 1879-S production adds an additional layer of interest to die variety research for this date. George T. Morgan's design pairs the Lady Liberty portrait adorned with wheat and cotton on the obverse with the heraldic eagle reverse, struck in 90% silver and 10% copper at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter and reeded edge. The San Francisco Mint, established during the California Gold Rush in 1854, produced Morgan Dollars of consistently high quality, and the 1879-S remains one of the most actively collected dates in the series. VAM-3A's position as the initial die state provides the chronological baseline from which subsequent die states can be compared and sequenced within this die pair's production narrative.

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