1900-S VAM-4

Description

Discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974, the 1900-S VAM-4 "Doubled 00" Morgan dollar identifies hub doubling on the two zeros of the date on George T. Morgan's silver dollar obverse. Cataloged as 4 III2 3 - C3d (Doubled 00), the obverse description specifies that both zeros in the date are doubled all across the top outside of each numeral — a consistent doubling pattern that affects both digits identically, indicating the displacement occurred during the hubbing process when the entire date area received a secondary impression shifted outward and upward. The reverse carries the C3d classification with a V S mint mark set high — the S mintmark positioned above its typical location — providing an independent reverse diagnostic alongside the obverse doubling. San Francisco struck approximately 3.54 million Morgan dollars in 1900, a relatively low mintage that places this date among the scarcer S-mint issues of the later Morgan dollar years. Leonard Hinckley was among the early generation of VAM researchers whose discoveries in the 1970s helped establish the foundational framework of the die variety catalog system that Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis formalized. The doubled zeros provide a visually accessible diagnostic — the top outside portions of the circular numeral forms show clearly displaced secondary impressions that appear as thickened or shadowed outlines above the primary digit contours. The high-set S mintmark on the reverse offers a quick screening criterion before detailed examination of the date area. Collectors should examine both zeros in the date under 10-15x magnification, focusing on the upper exterior curves where the outward doubling creates its most visible displacement.

External References