1896-S VAM-9

Description

Discovered in 2012 by Gary Voyles (known by the collector handle 4sdair), the 1896-S VAM-9 displays a very near date — positioned much further left than normal — with a diagnostic die marker of a fine diagonal die scratch across the olive branch to the right of the olive on the reverse. Classified as III2 7 - C3a (Very Near Date) in the Van Allen-Mallis system, this variety's defining characteristic is the extreme leftward shift of the date position, bringing the digits closer to the rim than standard die placement. Date positioning on Morgan Dollars was determined during the hand-punching process when an engraver pressed a four-digit logotype into each working die, and the 1896-S VAM-9's very near date indicates the punch was applied at an unusually leftward location. The fine diagonal die scratch across the olive branch provides a valuable secondary attribution marker independent of the date position. The 1896-S Morgan Dollar had a mintage of approximately 5.0 million pieces at the San Francisco Mint, a moderate output that makes it available in circulated grades but challenging in higher uncirculated conditions. The 1896 date falls in the late Gilded Age, when the political debate over silver coinage reached its peak with William Jennings Bryan's famous "Cross of Gold" speech and the 1896 presidential election. San Francisco continued steady Morgan Dollar production throughout this period as the Bland-Allison Act's silver purchase mandates remained in effect. VAM-9's 2012 discovery demonstrates that new VAM varieties continue to be identified more than a century after the coins were struck.

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