1899-S VAM-11

Description

Cataloged by Leroy Van Allen himself in January 1980, this 1899-S Morgan Dollar VAM-11 pairs a Near Date obverse with a distinctively tilted S mintmark on the reverse. The obverse die type III2 6 places the date further left than the normal position, qualifying it for the Near Date classification shared by several 1899-S die marriages. The reverse die C3e features a medium size IV S mintmark tilted far to the right at normal height — a tilt angle that sets this variety apart from the more common upright or slightly tilted S mintmark orientations found on other 1899-S VAMs. Notably, this reverse die is shared with the 1899-S VAM-5 die marriage, meaning both varieties were struck from the same reverse die paired with different obverse dies during production at the San Francisco Mint. Shared reverse dies are relatively common in the Morgan Dollar series, where the Mint routinely separated and re-paired obverse and reverse dies as individual dies wore out at different rates. San Francisco's 1899 Morgan Dollar output provided steady production, and the hand-punched S mintmark on each reverse die created the individual positioning variations that VAM collectors now catalog. =1899-S VAM-11 Near Date, S Tilted Far Right= Discovered by Leroy Van Allen, January 1980.

External References