1889-O VAM-2

Description

Few New Orleans Morgan dollars carry the prestige of the 1889-O VAM-2, a Top 100 Morgan VAM discovered by George Mallis himself in June 1965 — the co-creator of the VAM attribution system. Its formal designation is 2 III2 8 / C3b (Far Date, Oval O) with reference number 181. The obverse, III2 8, presents a date set noticeably further right than normal, and some specimens also show die chips between the loops of the first 8 on its right side. The reverse, C3b, is distinguished by a high-set, oval-shaped O mint mark, centered and upright. The oval O — wider than the more typical round O punches used at the New Orleans facility — is the variety's most immediately recognizable attribute. In Mint State, the 1889-O VAM-2 is a genuinely scarce coin with few high-grade examples known. The date position and the characteristic oval O combine to make this one of the more challenging yet rewarding varieties in the 1889-O series to locate and attribute. The VAM-2A is a related variety that provides photographic documentation of the date position for comparison.

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