1884-P VAM-8D1

Description

Documented in 2010, the 1884-P VAM-8D1 "Far Date, Hair on Jaw" Morgan dollar identifies two distinct obverse diagnostics on this Philadelphia issue: a far-positioned date and a curious horizontal curvy hair-like impression at the back of Liberty's jaw. Cataloged as 8D1 III2 8 · C3a (Far Date, Hair on Jaw) with an unconfirmed die pair number (noted as "?"), this variety combines a date position variant with an unusual die characteristic that has attracted collector interest. The hair-like impression on the jaw area likely originated from either a die polishing mark, a transfer from a foreign particle pressed into the die during production, or a subtle clash mark where an element from the reverse die transferred onto the obverse during a planchet-free die contact event. George T. Morgan sculpted Liberty's profile with flowing hair cascading behind the ear and along the neck, so any additional hair-like feature at the jaw — where the design transitions from the smooth jawline to the neck area — would appear anomalous and diagnostically useful. Philadelphia struck approximately 14.07 million Morgan dollars in 1884, a substantial production that consumed numerous die pairs. The "far date" component indicates the date numerals sit further from Liberty's portrait than standard positioning, a result of the hand-punching process used to individually place date digits into each working die. The D1 suffix indicates this is a sub-variety within the VAM-8 die family, distinguished from the parent variety by the jaw feature. Collectors should examine the back of Liberty's jaw under 15-20x magnification for the horizontal curvy impression, then verify the rightward date displacement and C3a reverse pairing.

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