1902-P VAM-18

Description

Discovered by Herb Zepke in April 2004, this Philadelphia Morgan dollar is cataloged as VAM-18 under classification III211 with a C4/C3h reverse, titled Doubled Ear, Near Date, 2 Olive Reverse, carrying a rarity rating of 189. The obverse shows strong doubling on the right inside of Liberty's ear, with the lower cotton leaf also doubled on its left side. The date is set further left than its normal lateral position. On the reverse, an extra olive appears to the right of the olive connected to the olive branch. Hub doubling extends across multiple elements: the base of all three olive leaf clusters, the back of the lower arrowhead, feathers at the top of the eagle's left wing, the right side of the eagle's nostril and eye, and the bottom inside of UNITE directed toward the rim. The ear doubling is the strongest single diagnostic, clearly visible under moderate magnification as a secondary inner contour. Philadelphia Morgan dollars from 1902 saw a mintage of 7,994,000, and while the date is common, varieties with this degree of obverse and reverse hub doubling warrant careful examination.

External References