1879-O VAM-16

Description

Discovered by Oscar Simpson in April 1977, VAM-16 documents a Doubled 9 with a Low O Set Right on the 1879 New Orleans Morgan Dollar. Classified as 16 III2 3, C3g reverse, die pair 176 in the VAMWorld registry. The obverse shows the loop of the 9 in the date doubled to the left, with both closed and open 9 sub-varieties identified — meaning different die states of this same obverse produced slightly different configurations of the 9's loop as the die wore through service. The reverse carries a large oval O mintmark set low, upright, and slightly to the right of standard position, classified under the C3g reverse die designation. New Orleans struck approximately 2.89 million Morgan Dollars in 1879, a relatively modest output for this facility during the early Bland-Allison Act era. Simpson's 1977 discovery places this among the earlier VAM attributions for the 1879-O date, and the doubled date digit combined with the distinctive mintmark positioning gives collectors two independent diagnostic features for positive identification.

External References