1896-P VAM-1B

Description

Discovered by Randy Pollack in September 1978, the 1896-P VAM-1B "Pitted Reverse" Morgan dollar documents a reverse die exhibiting rust pitting concentrated around the D and L of DOLLAR on the reverse of George T. Morgan's design. Cataloged as 1B III2 1 C3a (Pitted Reverse) with provisional status indicated by multiple question marks, this variety pairs an Obverse III2 1 with a Reverse C3a that is distinguished from normal specimens by the presence of rust-induced surface deterioration in the die steel. DPIS (Die Pair Identification System) entries show LH3/LE5 for this die marriage, providing identification codes within the advanced cataloging infrastructure that tracks Morgan dollar die pairs. Philadelphia struck approximately 9.98 million Morgan dollars in 1896, a date that sees moderate collector interest in the base issue and heightened attention in mint-state grades. Rust pits on a working die develop when the die surface is exposed to moisture during storage or handling between production sessions — the iron-based die steel oxidizes, creating small surface depressions that transfer as raised dots or rough texture on struck coins. The concentration of pitting around D and L of DOLLAR suggests either localized moisture exposure or that rust developed more aggressively in the deeper recesses near these letters where polishing or cleaning may not have fully reached during die maintenance. Randy Pollack, one of the early contributors to the VAM system during its formative years in the late 1970s, identified this variety when the Morgan dollar die variety catalog was still in its expansion phase. The emission sequence data for both obverse and reverse dies remains unrecorded, and the provisional question marks suggest the classification may await confirmation or revision. Collectors should examine the D and L of DOLLAR under 15-20x magnification for clusters of small raised dots or rough texture that replicate consistently across multiple specimens from this die.

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