1879 (O) Morgan Dollar - VAM-3

Description

Howard Newcomb first documented this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar variety in February 1913, making it one of the earliest recorded VAM discoveries predating the formal Van Allen-Mallis catalog by more than six decades. Designated VAM-3 with classification III2 3 - C3b (Large O) and die pairing number 176, the obverse exhibits doubling on the loop of the 9, with both closed and open 9 sub-varieties recognized within this listing. The reverse features a normal C3 type die with a large Type IV O mintmark centered in the standard position. The 1879-O Morgan Dollar had a mintage of approximately 2.9 million coins, a relatively modest production figure for the New Orleans Mint during the early years of the Morgan Dollar series. Newcomb was a pioneering numismatic researcher who cataloged die varieties at a time when systematic variety collecting was in its infancy, and his early identification of the doubled 9 on this die demonstrates the level of observational skill these early researchers brought to the field. The large O mintmark on the reverse is a distinctive characteristic that separates this die pairing from others in the 1879-O series, and the two sub-varieties of the 9 — closed loop and open loop — indicate that the date punch left subtle differences depending on the angle and pressure of impression.

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