1885-CC VAM-2A

Description

Discovered by Mark Kimpton in August 2004, VAM-2A for the 1885-CC Morgan Dollar combines the diagnostic "Dash Under 8" obverse feature of the parent VAM-2 die with a clashed obverse showing a faint partial incuse "n" from the reverse "In" inscription next to Liberty's neck. Classified as III22 with a C3a reverse, the clashed "n" provides evidence that this die pair experienced at least one clashless strike — when the dies came together without a planchet, transferring the reverse "n" as an incuse impression onto the obverse die. The 1885-CC Morgan Dollar was struck at the Carson City Mint in Nevada, which operated from 1870 to 1893 and produced coins from Comstock Lode silver — making every CC-mint coin highly desirable to collectors. The 1885-CC has a mintage of approximately 228,000 pieces, already a low figure, but the survival rate is significantly enhanced by the discovery of Treasury hoards released in the 1960s and 1970s through GSA sales. Despite the hoard releases, the 1885-CC remains among the more sought-after CC-mint Morgan dates. VAM-2A as a die state variant of VAM-2 documents the progressive history of this die pair — the parent VAM-2 shows the dash under 8 without clashing, and VAM-2A adds the clash event that occurred later in the die's production life. Carson City die varieties carry a premium simply due to the cachet of the CC mintmark, which represents the romance of Nevada silver mining and the frontier West.

External References