1889-P VAM-2

Description

Among the earliest Morgan Dollar varieties ever cataloged, VAM-2 for the 1889 Philadelphia Mint issue was discovered by George Mallis in July 1964. Mallis co-created the VAM attribution system alongside Leroy Van Allen, making this one of the foundational entries in what would become the most comprehensive die variety catalog in American numismatics. Designated 2 III2 2 - C3a (Open 9) (190), the obverse die classified III2 2 features a normal die where the tail of the 9 in the date does not touch the upper loop, creating the "Open 9" characteristic. The reverse die is classified C3a. An important note in the VAM records acknowledges that this listing is considered hypergeneric — meaning it describes a feature too common across multiple die pairs to serve as a reliable attribution point. Furthermore, open and closed numeral distinctions are no longer used as criteria for VAM attributions under current cataloging standards, rendering this variety's defining characteristic obsolete by modern methodology. Despite its outdated diagnostic criteria, VAM-2 retains historical significance as one of the earliest varieties documented in the system.

External References