1884-P VAM-21

Description

Discovered on May 15, 2009 by Ray Dean and cataloged by VAMWorld as 21 III2 20 - C3a, the 1884-P VAM-21 Morgan dollar features the distinctive diagnostic of the digit 8 visible in the denticles combined with a very far date position. The Morgan dollar was struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter and a reeded edge. Philadelphia produced 14,070,875 Morgan dollars in 1884, a robust production figure supplemented by large numbers retained in Treasury vaults, many of which were later released through the General Services Administration in the 1970s. The obverse classification III2 20 describes the primary diagnostic: the top of the digit 8 shows in the denticles as a curved raised bar in the denticle space below the left portion of the 8, with an additional raised curved bar in the adjacent right denticle space. These denticle impressions occurred when the 8 digit punch was driven so low on the die face that the top of the digit extended into the denticle border zone, leaving raised remnants of the punch impression among the rim's tooth-like elements. Additionally, the date is described as set much further right than normal, an unusual lateral positioning that serves as a quick screening characteristic. The combination of denticle impressions and the far-right date position makes VAM-21 a variety with strong visual diagnostics that can be identified without extreme magnification. The DPIS code 188 positions this variety within the date indexing system. Struck during the Gilded Age when Philadelphia was the primary production facility for Morgan dollars and millions of coins were being struck and stored in government vaults, the 1884-P VAM-21 demonstrates how variations in the hand-punching process could produce dramatically different date placements on coins from the same year.

External References