1890-S VAM-16

Description

Discovered by Martin Field in November 1979, the 1890-S VAM-16 "S/S Down, Far Date" Morgan dollar documents two distinct diagnostics: a repunched mintmark where the S shows a secondary impression displaced downward, and a far date position where the date numerals sit farther from the rim than standard placement. Cataloged as 16 III2 3 · C3c (S/S Down, Far Date) with die number 191, this variety pairs Obverse III2 3 with Reverse C3c. The emission sequence data reveals that this reverse die was shared with 1890-S VAM-3 — documenting a die marriage sequence of VAM-3 followed by VAM-16 for the reverse, indicating the same physical reverse die was paired with at least two different obverse dies during its service life. George T. Morgan's silver dollar was struck at San Francisco with an approximate mintage of 8.36 million coins in 1890, a moderate output that generated multiple identifiable die pairs. The S/S Down mintmark diagnostic shows the initial S impression sitting above the final corrected position, the result of the die sinker's first mintmark placement being deemed too high and a corrective second punch applied lower — both impressions remaining visible on the finished die. The far date characteristic identifies the obverse die as having the date punched at an unusually distant position from the rim, a diagnostic independent of the mintmark that provides a second attribution checkpoint. Martin Field's November 1979 discovery established this variety during the productive period of systematic Morgan dollar cataloging. The shared reverse die documentation provides insight into San Francisco Mint die shop practices, revealing how individual dies were rotated between pairings as obverse or reverse partners wore at different rates.

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