1886-P VAM-5

Description

One of the earliest VAM attributions on record, 1886-P VAM-5 was discovered by George Mallis in July 1964 and revised in 2010. Mallis co-created the VAM system with Leroy Van Allen, and this discovery predates the formal publication of the reference. Catalogued as 5 (revised) III2 5 C3a with the designation Doubled 18, Polished Bar 6, the obverse shows the 18 in the date doubled, the 1 doubled as a line under the top crossbar and projecting from the stem, and both 8 loops doubled at the top inside. The variety features a closed 6 with a polished bar at the lower inside of its upper loop, most visible on early die state specimens. The reverse is C3a with no independent variety characteristics. A note of practical importance: early die state examples, especially prooflike specimens, can be misattributed as 1886-P VAM-1A, making the closed 6 and polished bar essential confirmation markers. Morgan dollars are 90% silver, designed by George T. Morgan. The historical significance of this variety as one of Mallis's original 1964 finds, combined with the diagnostic closed 6 and doubled 18, gives 1886-P VAM-5 lasting importance in the Morgan dollar die variety canon.

External References