1888-S VAM-12

Description

Originally discovered by C. Logan McKechnie in April 2006, VAM-12 on the 1888-S Morgan dollar was later eliminated from the active registry after being determined to represent the same die as VAM-6B. Cataloged as 12 III21 C3d (S/S Upper Bar) with die pair number 187, the variety's key diagnostic is a nicely doubled San Francisco mintmark, where the S was punched over a previous impression with enough offset to leave the upper bar of the initial S clearly visible beneath the final position. Mintmark doubling on Morgan dollars of this era resulted from the hand-punching process — each working die received its mintmark individually from a hand-held letter punch, and any repositioning between strikes left telltale traces. The obverse displays multiple polishing lines inside and around the ear, evidence of die maintenance performed at the San Francisco Mint to extend die life by removing clash marks or minor surface imperfections. Although this variety has been eliminated as a standalone listing and folded into the VAM-6B attribution, understanding its history illustrates the evolving nature of the VAM classification system, where newly discovered varieties are sometimes later consolidated when die identity matching reveals they share a common die pair with an existing catalog number.

External References