1885-O VAM-8

Description

Melvin Carmichael and other early catalogers would have recognized it immediately: the O mintmark sitting measurably to the right of the standard position on the reverse of this 1885 New Orleans Morgan dollar. Richard Deters formally documented the variety in February 1973, cataloging it as VAM-8 with the shorthand designation 8 III2 1 - C3b (O Shifted Right) and a page cross-reference of 181 in the foundational VAM reference. The reverse die is classified C3b, indicating a specific reverse die pairing within the C3 family, where the sole diagnostic feature is the laterally displaced O mintmark. During production of Morgan dollars at New Orleans, each working reverse die received its mintmark individually by a mint employee who hand-punched the small O into the die steel below the eagle's tail feathers. Variations in placement were inevitable — shifts to the left, right, high, or low — and the rightward displacement on this particular die was pronounced enough to earn dedicated catalog status. George T. Morgan's heraldic eagle reverse, with its wreath of olive and oak branches framing the eagle and the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA arching above, provides the visual context for evaluating mintmark position. New Orleans produced approximately 9.19 million Morgan dollars in 1885, a date that is readily available in lower grades but scarce in gem condition. The III2 obverse die classification pairs with a Type III2 portrait, and the numeral 1 indicates the primary obverse die variant within that type. Collectors examining this variety should compare the O position against a confirmed normal-placement example, noting how far the right edge of the mintmark extends past the centerline of the eagle's tail feather cluster — the displacement is visible at 5-7x magnification and becomes unmistakable under a 10x loupe.

External References