1883-O VAM-9

Description

Discovered by Pete Bishal in December 1974, this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar is designated VAM-9 under Classification 9 III2 5, C3e, with die pair 181. The variety is described as High 8, O/O High, combining a date position anomaly with a repunched mint mark. On the obverse, the second 8 is set higher than normal, with faint doubling visible at the bottom of the 1 and at the bottom inside of the lower loop of the 3. The reverse displays a repunched O mint mark, with the original position showing at the top of the opening, indicating the mint mark punch was repositioned during die preparation. This variety shares its reverse die with 1883-O VAM-6 and VAM-48, connecting three distinct die marriages through common reverse tooling. These shared die relationships help VAM researchers reconstruct the pairing sequence at the New Orleans Mint. Struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, the 1883-O Morgan Dollar was produced during the Gilded Age, when congressional mandates drove massive silver dollar output. The combination of the elevated 8 in the date and the repunched O mint mark gives VAM-9 two independent attribution points for variety specialists to confirm.

External References