1921-P VAM-1BR

Description

Originally discovered in June 2022 by Brent Fogelberg, the 1921-P VAM-1BR Morgan Dollar was subsequently eliminated in April 2023 when it was determined to be a duplicate of the previously cataloged VAM-109 — a reclassification event that illustrates the ongoing scholarly refinement process within the VAM cataloging community, where new submissions are rigorously compared against existing entries and merged or eliminated when die pair identity is confirmed. The original classification was IV 1 - D1a (Scribbling Scratches #168) with die pairing number 189. The reverse (D1a) displays fine die scratches running in various directions across the over-polished tail feathers surrounding the eagle's right leg — a pattern created when Mint personnel hand-polished the die face to remove clash marks or extend die life, leaving characteristic linear striations in random orientations rather than the systematic parallel lines produced by machine polishing. The reverse die marker consists of lines visible in the left wreath behind the berries above the O in ONE. An important note for 1921 Morgan Dollars: dates were part of the master die in this final year of production, so there is no variation in date position between dies — all date placement anomalies on 1921 issues must originate from the hubbing process rather than individual punch application, a characteristic unique to the last year of Morgan Dollar production. The Morgan Dollar was designed by George T. Morgan and struck at the Philadelphia Mint in 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. The 1921 revival of Morgan Dollar production was authorized to meet silver dollar demand before the new Peace Dollar design was ready, resulting in a single-year Philadelphia mintage of approximately 44.7 million pieces — the highest Philadelphia mintage in the series' history.

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