1888-P VAM-17A

Description

Discovered in 2010 and cataloged at DPIS 189 with die pairing LH3/RE4, the 1888-P Morgan Dollar VAM-17A features three distinct diagnostic elements. Die chips appear in the loops of both 8s in the date. The reverse exhibits doubling. Most unusually, a row of 11 shallow small raised dots appears below the tail feathers and around the olive branch right end — a denticle impression phenomenon in which the lateral spacing between the raised dots matches precisely the spacing of the denticles, suggesting the dots originate from a denticle impression transferred during die preparation. Two larger denticle impressions are also present at the top left of the wreath bow. The combination of the 11-dot row below the tail feathers and the wreath bow impressions makes VAM-17A one of the more visually distinctive varieties in the 1888-P attribution spectrum. Struck in 90% silver at Philadelphia.

External References