1904-S VAM-3

Description

Discovered by Jim Baxter in February 1979, the 1904-S VAM-3 features the 2 Olive Reverse die type on this 90% silver Morgan Dollar from the San Francisco Mint. The reverse exhibits an extra olive in the branch held in the eagle's talon, along with doubling on leaves, the eagle's nostril, eye, arrowhead, and the letters GOD WE — a broad distribution of secondary impressions across multiple design elements. The 2 Olive Reverse designation classifies this reverse die within a system tracking olive branch characteristics, helping researchers identify shared reverse dies across multiple VAM numbers. This comprehensive doubling pattern — spanning botanical, anatomical, and lettering elements of the reverse — suggests a significant hub displacement during the die-making process rather than localized distortion. George T. Morgan's dollar entered its penultimate year of original production in 1904, with the series concluding in 1904 before its 1921 revival under the Pittman Act. The 1904-S is the final San Francisco Morgan Dollar of the original run, struck at 412.5 grains, making die varieties from this date the last S-mint Morgans until the 1921 resumption.

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