1882-P VAM-3

Description

Discovered by George Mallis in July 1964 — the "M" in the Van Allen-Mallis (VAM) attribution system — the 1882-P Morgan Dollar VAM-3 features doubling on the second 8 in the date, visible as a secondary image shifted to the top left of the primary digit. The date 1882 contains two instances of the numeral 8, and the affected digit is the second one (the rightmost 8). This obverse also exhibits the open 2 variety, where the bottom loop of the final digit in 1882 does not fully close, leaving a gap rather than forming a complete enclosed loop. Classified as die pair III2 3-C3a, the obverse carries die type III2, number 3, while the reverse C3a represents a normal die with no distinguishing features. The interest rating of I-2 reflects moderate collector appeal. That George Mallis himself discovered this variety lends it historical significance within the VAM community — Mallis co-authored the foundational Morgan Dollar reference work with Leroy Van Allen, creating the classification system that now catalogs thousands of die varieties across the series. The 1882-P was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 90% silver at 26.73 grams. Examine the second 8 under magnification for the secondary image offset to the upper left, and check the 2 for the open versus closed loop characteristic.

External References