1889-S VAM-1

Description

Designated as the Normal Die variety for the 1889 San Francisco Mint Morgan Dollar, VAM-1 represents the baseline die marriage against which all other 1889-S VAMs are compared. Cataloged as die pairing III2 1 - C3a, the obverse is a normal die of the III2 type with a closed 9 in the date, and some specimens exhibit a die chip between the loops of the first 8 on the left side — a progressive die deterioration feature that may or may not be present depending on the die stage encountered. The reverse carries a normal C3 type die with a medium IV mintmark that is centered and upright. The 1889-S Morgan Dollar is one of the key dates in the Morgan series, with a mintage of only approximately 700,000 pieces from San Francisco — one of the lowest production figures in the entire 1878-1921 run. This scarcity, combined with low survival rates (many 1889-S dollars entered circulation and were heavily worn), makes even the Normal Die variety a challenging acquisition in high grade. San Francisco's production during the late 1880s was constrained by the logistics of silver delivery and coining capacity at the facility on Mint Street. For VAM collectors, VAM-1 serves as the essential reference point: understanding the normal die characteristics — the closed 9, the medium upright mintmark — is prerequisite to identifying the diagnostic features that distinguish the other die marriages in the 1889-S VAM catalog.

External References