1887-O VAM-12

Description

Discovered by none other than Leroy Van Allen in September 1977, the 1887-O VAM-12 holds special provenance as a variety identified by the co-creator of the Van Allen-Mallis classification system itself. Van Allen — the "V" in VAM — personally documented this New Orleans Morgan Dollar as a Far Date variety, where the four-digit date logotype was hand-punched into the working die at a position further from Liberty's bust truncation than standard. That one of the system's architects discovered this variety gives it a direct connection to the foundational research that built the most comprehensive die variety catalog in American numismatics. The Far Date diagnostic is verified by measuring the gap between the leftmost digit and the bust truncation: a wider gap confirms the variety. The 1887-O was produced at the New Orleans Mint, which operated from 1838 to 1909 and whose coins are prized for their Southern provenance. Morgan's Liberty Head design was in its tenth year, struck in 90% silver at 38.1mm and 26.73 grams. Compare the date position against a standard 1887-O to observe the wider truncation gap Van Allen identified.

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