1899-P VAM-6

Description

Discovered by Martin Field in September 1980 and revised in 2013 by Weth, the 1899-P VAM-6 is a Morgan dollar variety struck at the Philadelphia Mint, designated as Open and Closed 9s. Classified as 6 (revised) III2 6 - C3a with a rarity rating of 190, this variety focuses on a date punch characteristic that makes it one of the more diagnostically interesting 1899-P Morgans. The Morgan dollar was composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter and a reeded edge. Philadelphia produced 330,846 Morgan dollars in 1899, one of the lowest Philadelphia mintages in the entire Morgan dollar series, making any 1899-P variety inherently scarce due to the small host-coin population. The obverse die, classified as III2 6, displays the variety's defining characteristic: the left 9 in the date has a closed lower loop while the right 9 has an open lower loop. This open-versus-closed distinction results from differences in the date punch manufacture or in the punching depth, where one numeral was driven into the die with sufficient force to close its loop while the other retained an open configuration. The obverse die marker consists of horizontal polishing lines at the hair edge below Liberty's ear, evidence of die maintenance. The reverse die, classified as C3a, carries its own diagnostic in the form of horizontal polishing lines at the eagle's left leg. The 2013 revision by Weth updated the original 1980 cataloging by Martin Field, refining the die classification numbers and improving the variety's documentation to modern VAM standards. The combination of a sub-350,000 Philadelphia mintage and the visually distinctive open-and-closed 9 feature makes VAM-6 an appealing variety for Morgan dollar collectors, with the date punch anomaly being identifiable with a standard loupe rather than requiring high-magnification examination.

External References