1900-S VAM-18

Description

Ash Harrison documented this die marriage in September 2004, identifying VAM-18 as a Very Near Date variety on the 1900 San Francisco Morgan Dollar — classified as III2 10 C4a, where the date is set very much further left than the normal position on the obverse. The reverse die, designated C4a, is described as a normal die of the C4 type with a wide V-shaped S mintmark, a distinctive form of the San Francisco mint mark that helps narrow attribution. Research notes reveal that a late die state specimen with interesting die breaks has been separately designated as VAM-18A, indicating progressive die deterioration created enough new diagnostic features to warrant a sub-variety classification. San Francisco struck approximately 3.54 million Morgan Dollars in 1900, a relatively low mintage that contributes to the date's desirability in higher grades. Date positioning varieties like "Very Near Date" result from variations in how the date logotype was placed on the working die — a manual process that inherently produced positional differences from die to die. The combination of an unusually leftward date position and the wide V-shaped S mintmark provides two strong attribution points for confirming this die marriage under examination.

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