1900-P VAM-7

Description

Originally discovered by Guy Messing in June 1975, the 1900-P VAM-7 Morgan Dollar carries the descriptive title "Very Near Date Set Low" and is classified as III2 6 with a C3a reverse designation and catalog number 189. The defining obverse characteristic — die state III2 6 — describes a date positioned much further left than the standard placement, with all four numerals set noticeably low and close to the rim. Date position varieties on Morgan Dollars are among the most visually accessible VAM diagnostics, as the spacing between the date and the rim can be evaluated with minimal magnification. The leftward and downward shift of the date on VAM-7 results from the positioning of the date logotype punch during die preparation: each working die received its date through a separate punching operation, and the position of that punch varied between dies depending on the engraver's hand placement. The DPIS rating of RE2 provides a rarity and demand assessment within the VAM collecting community. The 1900-P Morgan Dollar was produced at the Philadelphia Mint with a total mintage of approximately 8.83 million pieces, a moderate output for the late-period Morgan Dollar series. Guy Messing's 1975 discovery of this variety came during the foundational period of VAM collecting, when Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis were establishing the classification system that would eventually catalog thousands of Morgan and Peace Dollar die varieties. The combination of an extreme date position — both leftward and low — makes VAM-7 one of the more distinctive date placement varieties in the 1900-P Morgan Dollar catalog, readily identifiable by collectors familiar with the standard date positioning for the date.

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