1879-O VAM-5

Description

George Mallis first cataloged this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar variety in June 1965 as VAM-5 III2 5 - C3a (Doubled 9, Medium O), documenting a doubled date digit that shows the 9 doubled at its bottom lower left. The open 9 style further distinguishes this obverse die, while the reverse carries a normal die of the Medium O mint mark type — one of several O mint mark sizes and positions used at the New Orleans Mint during the Morgan Dollar era. The "(176)" notation indicates the die pairing sequence in the comprehensive catalog. Hub doubling on the date numerals of Morgan Dollars occurs during the die preparation process, when the hub impression is applied more than once with slight misalignment between impressions, transferring a doubled image into the working die that appears on every coin subsequently struck. The 1879-O Morgan Dollar carries a mintage of 2,887,000 pieces, a moderate output for the New Orleans facility. The New Orleans Mint was known for sometimes producing coins with slightly different characteristics than Philadelphia or San Francisco, partly due to equipment differences and the humid subtropical climate that could affect die steel. George Mallis, whose surname forms half of the "VAM" acronym alongside Leroy Van Allen, was instrumental in establishing the systematic die variety classification system that now encompasses thousands of documented Morgan Dollar die marriages.

External References