1881-O VAM-7

Description

Discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974, the 1881-O VAM-7 "O Set High" Morgan dollar documents a reverse die where the O mintmark is positioned noticeably higher than standard beneath the eagle's tail feathers. Cataloged as 7 III2 1 - C3e (O Set High) with die alignment at 176 degrees, this variety identifies a Reverse C3e die characterized by a medium oval mintmark that is centered horizontally but set high vertically, paired with an Obverse III2 1 that represents a normal die of the III2 type. George T. Morgan's silver dollar was struck at the New Orleans Mint in 1881 with a mintage of approximately 5.71 million pieces, a moderate production total that generated enough die pairs to create meaningful mintmark position variation. Leonard Hinckley's February 1974 discovery places this among the early VAM attributions for the 1881-O date, established during the foundational years of systematic Morgan dollar variety documentation when Van Allen and Mallis were building the comprehensive die classification system. The "O Set High" designation describes a mintmark position above the normal vertical center of the typical placement range, and the "medium oval" shape characterization distinguishes this punch from the round, small, or large O mintmark styles that appear across different New Orleans Mint die pairs. Mintmark height variations on Morgan dollars resulted from the manual process of punching each working die individually — the engraver positioned the O punch below the eagle's tail feathers and struck it with a hammer, producing slight but measurable differences in vertical placement between dies. The C3e reverse type identifies a specific reverse die classification within the New Orleans Mint die taxonomy, distinguishing this die from the C3a, C3b, and C3d types cataloged for other 1881-O varieties. Emission sequence data remains undocumented for both dies in this marriage.

External References