1889-O VAM-10

Description

Leonard Hinckley identified this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar variety in February 1974, now cataloged as VAM-10 III2 6 - C3f (Wide Date) with die sequence notation "(181)." The obverse displays the digits 89 in the date positioned further to the right of the remaining numerals than normal, creating the "Wide Date" characteristic that gives this variety its designation. On the reverse, the mint mark is set upright and high relative to its standard position beneath the eagle's tail feathers. Wide date varieties on Morgan Dollars occur because the date logotype was individually punched into each working die by hand, introducing positional variation from one die to the next. When the 89 shifted rightward relative to the 18, it created a measurably wider gap between the digit groups that distinguishes this die from standard-spacing examples. The 1889-O Morgan Dollar had a production of 11,875,000 pieces from the New Orleans Mint, and the C3f reverse classification identifies the specific reverse die type by its mint mark placement and style. The combination of wide date and high, upright mint mark makes this a distinctive die marriage for VAM collectors. New Orleans Morgan Dollars are particularly popular among variety collectors, as the Southern branch mint's production practices generated a rich diversity of date positions, mint mark placements, and other die characteristics across the series.

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