1902-P VAM-6

Description

Discovered by Jim Baxter in January 1979, the 1902-P VAM-6 is a Morgan dollar variety struck at the Philadelphia Mint designated as Near Date, 2 Olive Reverse and classified as III2 2 - C4/C3a (189). The Philadelphia Mint produced 7,994,777 Morgan dollars in 1902, one of the final years of original Morgan dollar production before the series was temporarily halted in 1904. Each coin was struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter and a reeded edge. The obverse die, classified as III2 2, features a closed 9 in the date and the date positioned further left than normal, giving this variety its "Near Date" designation. This date placement anomaly occurred during die preparation when the four-digit date was entered into the working die at a position closer to the bust than the standard setting used on other dies for the same year. The reverse die presents the more unusual feature of this variety: an extra olive appears to the right of an olive connected to the branch, creating the "2 Olive Reverse" that distinguishes this die pairing. Additionally, doubling is visible at the top of the olive branch, the tops of the arrow feathers, and the letters N-TAT-OF, with the doubling oriented towards the rim. The reverse classification of C4/C3a reflects characteristics of both reverse die types. George T. Morgan's heraldic eagle reverse, with its detailed olive branch, arrows, and inscriptions, provides numerous reference points for identifying doubled elements, and VAM-6 represents one of the more distinctive reverse varieties in the 1902 Philadelphia Mint Morgan dollar die variety census.

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