1887-O VAM-11

Description

Discovered by Leroy Van Allen in June 1977 — one of the two founding researchers whose surname initials form the VAM designation system alongside George Mallis — the 1887-O VAM-11 "Near Date" Morgan dollar documents an obverse die where the date is set further left than the standard position. Cataloged as 11 III2 11.1 · C3a (Near Date) with a 181-degree die alignment, this variety identifies an Obverse III2 11.1 die paired with a standard C3a reverse. The "Near Date" designation refers to the date's lateral position relative to Liberty's portrait — a "near" date sits closer to the bust than normal, while a "far" date is positioned further away. George T. Morgan's silver dollar obverse placed the date beneath Liberty's neck truncation, where the punch position varied from die to die based on the engraver's manual placement of individual digit punches into each working die. New Orleans struck approximately 11.55 million Morgan dollars in 1887, a substantial production run that generated numerous die pairs and a correspondingly extensive VAM catalog for the date. Van Allen's June 1977 discovery places this attribution among the early foundational entries in the VAM system for the 1887-O date, established during the period when Van Allen and Mallis were systematically building the comprehensive die variety catalog that would eventually encompass thousands of Morgan dollar varieties across all dates and mint facilities. The 181-degree die alignment notation indicates a slight rotation between obverse and reverse dies beyond the normal 180-degree opposition, adding another measurable characteristic to the die marriage documentation. Emission sequence data for both obverse and reverse dies remains undocumented, leaving the production chronology of this die pair as an open research question. Collectors should compare the date position against known normal examples, looking for the leftward shift that defines the "Near Date" characteristic.

External References