1880-P VAM-100

Description

The 1880-P VAM-100 Morgan Dollar was discovered by James Hepler in July 2024, making it one of the most recently cataloged VAM varieties in the series. Classified as III2 48 - C3l with die pairing number 179, this Philadelphia Mint silver dollar weighs 26.73 grams, measures 38.1 mm in diameter, and is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper. The obverse designation "Doubled 188" indicates visible doubling on the digits 188 in the date, a feature that places this variety among the date-doubling sub-group highly sought by VAM specialists. The reverse die (C3l) is documented as a different die from VAM-49, though both share the same obverse die in the emission sequence (listed as 100, 49 for the obverse pairing). Significant reverse die markers develop as the die progresses through service: cracks form across the tops of the letters STATE, a thin vertical scratch or crack appears on the eagle's left wing near the first A in AMERICA, and horizontal lines extend from the eagle's right foot into the upper tail feathers. These progressive die markers are invaluable for die state identification and attribution. The 1880 Philadelphia Morgan Dollar had a substantial mintage of approximately 12.6 million pieces, supporting the robust commerce of the Gilded Age. George T. Morgan's obverse portrait of Liberty wearing a Phrygian cap adorned with wheat and cotton, paired with the heraldic eagle reverse, defined one of the most iconic coin designs in American numismatic history and spawned the extensive VAM cataloging system that now numbers in the thousands of documented varieties.

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