1886-P VAM-1R

Description

Discovered by Juan Arrioja in March 2024, the 1886-P VAM-1R carries die classification III2 1 with attribution code C3a under the title Thread Impression Left Wing. The defining feature is a curved thread impression between two outer feathers near the middle of the eagle's left wing — an unusual foreign material transfer where a fiber became trapped between hub and die or die and planchet, leaving a permanent raised impression. An obverse die marker anchors attribution: a spike extending downward from Liberty's eyelid tip, a precise feature locatable under magnification. Die Pair Identification Sequence coding is LE3/RH4. The variety is documented in both Early Die State and Late Die State, with the discovery coin classified as LDS — suggesting earlier-state examples may exist with sharper thread detail. The 1886 Morgan Dollar was struck at the Philadelphia Mint without a mintmark. Thread impressions on Morgan Dollar dies are among the rarer classes of die anomaly documented in the VAM system, making VAM-1R a distinctive entry in the 1886-P catalog. Juan Arrioja's March 2024 discovery reflects the ongoing expansion of VAM research.

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