1892-S VAM-12

Description

Discovered in 2009, the 1892-S VAM-12 "Far Slanted Date" Morgan dollar identifies a distinctive date punch placement on one of the key semi-key dates in the Morgan dollar series. Cataloged as 12 III2 8 - C3a (Far Slanted Date) with an unknown rarity rating (indicated by "?"), this variety features a date set further to the right than normal and slightly slanted, with the 2 positioned higher than the 1 — creating a visually tilted date line that diverges from the horizontal baseline used on standard 1892-S obverse dies. George T. Morgan's design places the date below Liberty's portrait, and the far-right positioning combined with the slant makes this variety diagnosable without high magnification once the collector knows what to look for. San Francisco struck approximately 1.2 million Morgan dollars in 1892, the lowest S-mint Morgan dollar mintage of the 1890s and a date that commands substantial premiums in all grades. The scarcity of the base date means that any variety on the 1892-S carries inherent value from the low surviving population. The Obverse III2 8 die classification indicates a less common obverse die type, further narrowing the attributable population. Date punch positioning varies on Morgan dollars because each working die received its date digits through individual hand punching — a manual process where the engraver positioned and struck date punches into the die face using a hammer, inevitably producing slight variations in spacing, alignment, and angle from die to die. The unassigned rarity rating suggests either insufficient data for a reliable estimate or that the variety was documented too recently for population surveys to establish a count. Collectors should compare date positioning and slant against standard 1892-S examples, looking for the rightward shift and the elevated 2 relative to the 1.

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