1884-S VAM-1

Description

The 1884-S Morgan Dollar VAM-1 represents the baseline normal die pairing for this date and mint mark combination, serving as the reference standard against which all other 1884-S VAM varieties are compared. The obverse die (III2 1) is a normal example of the III2 type, showing no doubling, die cracks, or notable die markers, while the reverse die (C3a) is a normal die of the C3 family featuring a medium IV-style mint mark that is centered and upright below the eagle. Normal die VAMs are essential to the VAM classification system because they establish what a standard die looks like for a given date, enabling collectors to identify deviations that define other varieties. The 1884-S Morgan Dollar is one of the scarcer San Francisco Mint dates in higher grades, as most examples entered circulation and show corresponding wear. George T. Morgan's Liberty Head obverse and eagle reverse — the designs that would define American silver dollar coinage for over a quarter century — are represented here in their standard, unmodified form, making VAM-1 the starting point for any study of 1884-S die varieties.

External References