1902-P VAM-12

Description

Listed by VAMWorld as 1902-P VAM-12, this Morgan dollar variety from the Philadelphia Mint is designated as Doubled Obverse, discovered by Herb Zepke in July 1998 and classified as III27 C4a (189). The 1902 Philadelphia Mint Morgan dollar had a mintage of 7,994,777 pieces, produced in the standard 90% silver and 10% copper composition at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. This was one of the final production years for the original Morgan dollar series, which would be suspended after 1904 when the Bland-Allison Act silver supplies were exhausted. The obverse die, classified III27, exhibits extensive doubling across Liberty's profile: the forehead, nose, lips, chin, and upper neck all show doubled outlines from a secondary hub impression. The eyelid is doubled as a thick bar below the front of the eye, creating one of the more visually dramatic pickup points on the coin. Two lower cotton leaves are doubled on their left sides, and the hair above the ear is slightly tripled, suggesting at least three hub impressions contributed to this die's final appearance. A closed 9 in the date provides an additional attribution point. The reverse is paired with a C4a die. The III27 classification for the obverse die indicates a specific level of detail and wear characteristics cataloged in the VAM reference system. George T. Morgan's intricately detailed Liberty head, with its fine lines defining facial features, hair strands, and cotton boll details, makes doubled obverse varieties on Morgan dollars particularly interesting to examine under magnification, as the secondary impressions create ghost-like outlines alongside the primary design elements that reveal the die preparation process.

External References