1880-P VAM-102

Description

Discovered by James Hepler in July 2024, the 1880-P VAM-102 is one of the most recently cataloged Morgan dollar varieties for the Philadelphia Mint date, classified as III2 65 C3a (180) and designated as Doubled Date, Bar R, Die Scratches Wing. The 1880 Philadelphia Mint Morgan dollar had a substantial mintage of 12,600,000 pieces, struck in 90% silver and 10% copper at the standard weight of 26.73 grams and 38.1 mm diameter. The extremely high VAM number of 102 reflects the extraordinary depth of die variety research that has been conducted on this popular date over the decades since the Van Allen-Mallis cataloging system was established, with new varieties still being discovered as recently as 2024. The obverse die classification of III2 65 indicates this particular die's position in the census, while the doubled date indicates visible secondary impressions on the date digits from hub misalignment during die preparation. The reverse die, classified as C3a, carries distinctive scratches: a curved scratch in the eagle's left wing near the tip, close to the first A in AMERICA, and a squiggly horizontal scratch between the 6th and 7th outer feathers from the bottom of the eagle's right wing, which is bisected by a vertical scratch. The "Bar R" designation refers to a specific characteristic of the R letter in the design. The emission sequence notes that the obverse die was also used with VAMs 70 and 101, establishing die linkages that help reconstruct the production sequence at the Philadelphia Mint. The July 2024 discovery date demonstrates that even after nearly 50 years of systematic VAM research on the 1880 Philadelphia issue, previously unidentified die combinations continue to surface.

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