1886-P VAM-1I

Description

Discovered by Laurence Galbraith in January 2006, the 1886-P VAM-1I — nicknamed "Banded Wing Tip" — is classified under the VAM system as 1 I III21 C3a. The defining diagnostic appears on reverse die state C3a: raised parallel bands extending from the eagle's right wing tip through the D in UNITED and continuing through ST in STATES, with some polished die surfaces in the affected area. These bands result from die polishing lines not fully removed during die preparation, leaving linear impressions that transferred to struck coins as subtle raised features. The 1886 Morgan Dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint in the standard 90% silver, 10% copper composition at 412.5 grains, during robust silver dollar production driven by the Bland-Allison Act. Morgan Dollar VAM collecting — named for Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis, who pioneered the classification system — catalogs die varieties through meticulous comparison of obverse and reverse die states, and the Banded Wing Tip designation gives collectors a memorable shorthand for identifying this die combination on the 1886 Philadelphia issue.

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