1886-S VAM-1A

Description

Discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974, 1886-S VAM-1A is catalogued as 1A III2 1 · C3a — Lines in 6. The obverse III2 1 shows horizontal lines in the lower part of the loop of the 6 in the date — the defining diagnostic for this variety. The reverse C3a carries a Small S mintmark, with a die crack running from the bottom of the right wreath to above the eagle's left wing serving as the confirming reverse die marker. The 1886-S Morgan dollar in 90% silver was struck at San Francisco with a mintage of just over 750,000 pieces, making the date among the scarcer S-mint Morgans of the decade. The horizontal lines within the 6 loop are a die engraving artifact, most visible under ten to twenty power magnification in the lower interior of the numeral. Rarity: R-4, estimated 201 to 500 known to exist. Hinckley's 1974 discovery places VAM-1A in the founding generation of systematically attributed Morgan varieties, predating widespread census infrastructure and relying on physical die study.

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