1887-O VAM-4

Description

Clarence Brown discovered this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar variety in July 1967, making it one of the earlier documented VAMs in the catalog. Designated VAM-4 with classification III2 4 - C3a (Doubled 1--7) and die pairing 181, the obverse shows the numeral 1 doubled at its top and the numeral 7 doubled at its bottom, indicating the date logotype was impressed twice with a slight vertical displacement between strikes. The reverse is a normal C3a die, and the variety is known to come clashed without letter transfer — meaning the dies struck each other without a planchet but the clash did not produce visible transferred design elements on surviving specimens. During the Gilded Age, the New Orleans Mint struck approximately 11.55 million Morgan Dollars in 1887, a substantial output that required multiple die pairs and created opportunities for die preparation anomalies. The doubled 1 and 7 provide a clear two-point diagnostic: collectors examining potential matches should check the top of the 1 for a secondary impression and the bottom of the 7 for spread below the horizontal baseline. Brown's early identification of this variety helped establish the systematic approach to Morgan Dollar die study that Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis later formalized in their comprehensive reference work. The combination of doubled terminal date digits without middle-digit involvement suggests a specific tilt angle in the punch alignment.

External References