1880-O VAM-31

Description

Discovered by Steve Sabella in September 1979, the 1880-O VAM-31 Morgan Dollar carries the designation "Doubled 880, Medium O," classified as III2 18 - C3b with die pairing number 176. This New Orleans Mint silver dollar weighs 26.73 grams, measures 38.1 mm in diameter, and is composed of 90% silver and 10% copper. The obverse (die state III2 18) presents comprehensive date doubling: the first 8 is doubled at the top and right inside of the lower loop, the second 8 is doubled at top left and right, and the 0 is doubled on the left inside. This thorough doubling across three of the four date digits makes VAM-31 one of the more visually compelling date-doubled 1880-O varieties. The reverse (die state C3b) displays a medium, tall, Type II O mintmark that is centered and upright, a standard placement for the New Orleans facility. Steve Sabella, a veteran VAM researcher active during the early cataloging era when the systematic documentation of Morgan Dollar die varieties was still being formalized, contributed numerous important discoveries. The 1880-O Morgan Dollar had a mintage of approximately 5.3 million pieces, a moderate production figure that kept the date accessible to collectors while maintaining enough scarcity to command attention. New Orleans Morgan Dollars from the 1878-1904 production period are particularly prized in VAM collecting because the facility's somewhat less controlled minting conditions and varied mintmark punch application techniques generated a rich diversity of documented die varieties spanning multiple VAM sub-categories.

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