1878-P Morgan Dollar VAM-14.4 "Deep Dish": The Concave Field Variety

The 1878-P VAM-14.4 is a Hot 50 Morgan VAM known as the "Deep Dish." Jim Selfridge discovered it in May 1976, and the listing was revised in August 2023. NGC recognizes it.

What makes it different

The reverse field has more curvature than any other Morgan dollar and is especially concave near the rim. Tilt the coin under light and a circular pattern bends like a silver bowl. VAMWorld contributors describe it as the favorite variety of many VAM experts, and examples almost always have DMPL surfaces.

How to identify it

• Reverse: slight doubling of UNITED, TTES and MERICA at the bottom of the letters toward the rim, and of ONE DOLLAR at the tops of the letters. The right star is doubled on its right side. Three small feathers are added on the eagle's right and two on the left. A die chip in the denticles is described as a dead giveaway.

• Obverse: this is a later die state of the VAM-2 obverse. It has doubled bottoms of E PLURIBUS and both sides of the U in UNUM, plus faint clash marks from the words In and Trust near the neck and in the right hair vee.

• Clashing: all VAM-14.4 coins are clashed, because the obverse comes from VAM-2A.

What buyers and collectors should know

Auction records cited on the page show roughly 18 examples in MS62 and 22 in MS63, and the variety is called tough. Grading services do not separate VAM-14.4 from VAM-14.4A, which is the same die pair with and without extra reverse field lines. Buyers should judge the curvature of the field in hand or in good photos.

Browse graded coins and silver at www.ccandc.gold.