1881 (O) Morgan Dollar - VAM-31

Description

Discovered by Marc Serafine in June 2001, the 1881-O VAM-31 Morgan Dollar is classified as 31 III2 20 - C3a, a Doubled 18 variety struck at the New Orleans Mint. The 1881-O had a mintage of 5,708,000 pieces in 90% silver at 26.73 grams and 38.1 mm diameter, and is known among Morgan Dollar collectors for frequently appearing in lower mint state grades with characteristic bagmarks from the Treasury bag storage that preserved millions of Morgan Dollars in vaults until the 1960s dispersals. The obverse die (III2 20) shows doubling on the first two digits of the date: the numeral 1 is doubled on its surface at the bottom of the upper crossbar and slightly at the top right of the vertical shaft, while the first 8 is slightly doubled on its surface at the lower right outside of the upper loop and on the surface at the bottom outside of the lower loop. George T. Morgan's obverse design, modeled after Philadelphia schoolteacher Anna Willess Williams, shows Liberty in exquisite detail that reveals these subtle doublings under careful magnification. The reverse die (C3a) is classified as a normal die with no documented variety features. Die pair 176 is assigned to this marriage. The doubling confined to just the 18 digits — without affecting the 81 — indicates the hub displacement that created this variety was localized to the left portion of the date area during the die preparation process.

External References