1881-O VAM-2B

Description

John Coxe discovered this variety in February 2013, and VAM-2B on the 1881-O Morgan Dollar carries the formal designation 2B III2 1 with reverse die C3b and the classification "O/O Low, Pitted NE-D," with catalogue identification number 176. The "O/O Low" component documents a repunched mintmark: the O mintmark was punched into the reverse die at least twice, with the secondary impression sitting lower than the final position, leaving a trace of the first punch visible below or offset from the primary O — evidence of the hand-punching process used at the New Orleans Mint where mintmarks were individually applied to each working die using a manual punch and mallet. The "Pitted NE-D" component describes raised dots from die rust pitting concentrated at the NE-D area of ONE DOLLAR — small raised bumps on struck coins corresponding to pits that formed in the die surface through oxidation or corrosion, likely occurring during a period when the die was stored without adequate rust prevention between production runs. The obverse III2 1 is classified as a normal die without distinctive variety features. A cross-reference note establishes that the VAM-2B reverse is the pitted Early Die State version of the VAM-33 reverse, meaning the same physical reverse die appears in the VAM census under two different designations representing different die state conditions — the pitted state constituting an earlier phase before the die was polished or further deteriorated into the state documented under VAM-33. Struck at the New Orleans Mint in 90% silver at 26.73 grams, the 1881-O Morgan Dollar had a mintage of approximately 5.71 million pieces. The combination of an O/O repunched mintmark with die rust pitting creates a variety with two independent diagnostic features, each carrying distinct collector interest.

External References