1900-S VAM-30

Description

Discovered in 2020 by the collector known as Dirtdoctor, the 1900-S VAM-30 is classified as III2 13 - C3b and designated "Low Slanted Date" with a rarity rating of I-2 R-5. The obverse (III2 13) presents a distinctive slanted date where the 1 is positioned very low and the right 0 sits high above the denticles, with the 1 also at the very left edge of the normal lateral position — creating a date that tilts noticeably from lower left to upper right. Die polishing lines are visible in the TY of LIBERTY, serving as an obverse die marker. The reverse (C3b) shows die polishing lines in the wing-neck gap as its diagnostic marker. Existence of this variety was confirmed in October 2023, adding verification to the original 2020 discovery. The Morgan Dollar was designed by George T. Morgan, struck at the San Francisco Mint in 90% silver at 26.73 grams and 38.1 mm diameter. Date position varieties are fundamental to the VAM classification system for Morgan Dollars because the date digits were individually punched into each working die prior to 1921, creating natural variation in placement, spacing, tilt, and depth. The dramatically slanted date on VAM-30 — with the 1 very low and the 0 high — represents one of the more extreme positional deviations from the normal date alignment, making it visually striking even without magnification. The R-5 rarity rating suggests a population of approximately 30 to 75 known examples, appropriate for a relatively recent discovery whose full population is still being identified through roll searching and collection inventories.

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