1897-P VAM-7

Description

Discovered by Maurice Dubreuil in January 1977 and revised in May 2024, the 1897-P VAM-7 displays a low slanted date with the digit 1 positioned very close to the rim, set at the left side of the normal lateral position. Classified as III2 7 - C3a (Low Slanted Date) in the Van Allen-Mallis system, this variety documents a distinctive date punch placement where the four-digit date was entered into the obverse die at a noticeably lower and more angled position than standard. Date placement variations on Morgan Dollars result from the hand-punching process used to add the date to each working die — the engraver manually positioned a four-digit logotype punch, and variations in angle, depth, and lateral placement were an inherent consequence of this manual technique. The Die Pair Identification System rating of LE3/RH4 provides a quantitative measure for identifying this specific die pair. The 1897 Philadelphia Mint Morgan Dollar had a mintage of approximately 2.82 million, making it one of the lower-mintage Philadelphia dates of the 1890s and a coin that commands premiums in higher grades. Morgan Dollar production at Philadelphia during this period was winding down from the peak years of the 1880s, and mintages fluctuated as Treasury silver purchase policies shifted. The May 2024 revision to this listing, nearly half a century after Dubreuil's original discovery, reflects the ongoing scholarship that keeps the VAM catalog current as new information emerges.

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