1880-P VAM-11B

Description

Discovered in 2010, VAM-11B of the 1880-P Morgan Dollar carries the classification III2 10 - C3a and is defined by a large die chip at Liberty's head neck point that occurs on the obverse before the clashed state documented as VAM-11A. The catalog note reveals an important attribution consideration: VAM-11B is most likely a duplicate listing, as all VAM-11 variants appear to share the die chip at the neck point, suggesting the chip was present from early in the die's service life and persisted through subsequent die states including the clash event that defines VAM-11A. The variety also shares the broader VAM-11 family characteristics of a doubled 880 with an 8/7 check mark — features indicating the date area shows both doubling on the three digits 880 and a distinctive check-mark-shaped remnant of an underlying 7 beneath one of the 8s. The R-6 rarity rating indicates an estimated population of 13 to 30 known examples, placing this in the very scarce category. The 1880-P Morgan Dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a mintage of 12,600,000 pieces in 90% silver at 26.73 grams on the standard 38.1 mm planchet. The progression from VAM-11B (pre-clash with neck chip) through VAM-11A (clashed with neck chip) documents the die's chronological history, providing collectors with a sequential narrative of this particular obverse die's production journey from its initial service through the clash event and beyond.

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