1904-S VAM-9

Description

1904-S VAM-9 High S Tilted Left Discovered 2010. Die pair: 9 III2 1 - C4c (High S Tilted Left) (181) Obverse III2 1: Date positioned at the right edge of the normal lateral range, a subtle placement shift that helps distinguish this die from others used for the 1904-S production. Reverse C4c: A large V S mintmark set high with a tilt to the left — the "Large V S" designation indicates a larger-than-standard S punch was used, and its leftward rotation from vertical creates a distinctively angled appearance that is readily identified under magnification. San Francisco Mint production. Mintmark tilt varieties are a product of the hand-punching process, where the angle at which the engraver held the punch determined the final orientation of the letter. This variety's combination of oversized punch, elevated position, and leftward tilt makes it one of the more visually distinctive mintmark placements among 1904-S Morgan Dollars. The large S punch suggests the Mint may have drawn from multiple punch inventories during this final year of original production.

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