1890-S VAM-8

Description

Cataloged as 8 III2 1 C3g with plate photo 190, this 1890-S Morgan Dollar carries the designation "S Tilted Left and Shifted Right" and was discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974. Hinckley was among the pioneering researchers who helped build the VAM catalog during its early decades. The variety's defining characteristic resides entirely on the reverse: the S mintmark is tilted to the left and simultaneously shifted slightly to the right of its normal position, creating a compound positional anomaly. Mintmarks on Morgan Dollars were hand-punched into individual working dies at each branch mint, and the angle and position of each punch impression depended on the die worker's hand placement — tilted and shifted mintmarks result from the punch entering the die face at a non-perpendicular angle while displaced from the intended center point. The reverse classification C3g distinguishes this specific mintmark configuration from other S-mint positioning varieties cataloged for the 1890-S date. Obverse die class III2 1 designates a modified die in first subclass. George T. Morgan's heraldic eagle reverse, with the mintmark positioned between the eagle's tail feathers and the wreath bow, provides the location where this positional anomaly is observed. Struck at the San Francisco Mint on 90% silver planchets at 26.73 grams.

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