1885-O VAM-31

Description

Discovered in 2012, the 1885-O VAM-31 Morgan Dollar is designated as a Doubled Ear, O Tilted Right variety, cataloged as 31 III2 14 - C3i. This variety features two distinct diagnostics across the obverse and reverse. On the obverse, Liberty's ear is slightly doubled at the right and left inside and lower outside — a subtle hub doubling that affected the ear detail of George T. Morgan's portrait, producing faintly separated primary and secondary impressions visible under magnification. The ear doubling requires careful examination, as the slight classification means the offset is small and the secondary image sits close to the primary contours of the ear anatomy. On the reverse, the Type III O mintmark from the New Orleans Mint is positioned in its normal location but with a slight tilt to the right, an orientation variation resulting from the hand-punching process used to apply mintmarks to individual working dies during this period. A note in the VAM catalog suggests this may be a duplicate listing of 1885-O VAM-22, indicating the VAM research community has identified potential overlap between the two designations that may eventually result in consolidation or further differentiation as more specimens are examined. The Morgan Dollar specification calls for 26.73 grams of 90% silver at 38.1 mm diameter with a reeded edge. The 1885-O is considered one of the more common Morgan Dollar dates, with approximately 9.185 million struck, though it is prized in high grades for its typically sharp strike quality. Collectors should compare specimens carefully against known VAM-22 diagnostics when attributing to VAM-31, given the noted potential for listing overlap.

External References