1889-O VAM-5

Description

One of the earlier-discovered VAM varieties in the Morgan dollar series, VAM-5 was identified by Ron Downing in March 1966 and documents a doubled date — specifically, the digits 1 and 8 of 1889 show clear secondary positioning on this New Orleans Mint die. Designated as 5 III2 2 with reverse die pairing C3a and production code (181), the doubling manifests as the numeral 1 doubled below its lower crossbar as a thin bar shifted slightly to the right, while the 8 appears doubled as an arc across its bottom curve. The Die Pair Identification System (DPIS) code of C3/RE4 places this variety within the established classification framework for Morgan dollar die marriages. Similar to VAM-6 from the same date, VAM-5 shares the doubled date characteristic but with less dramatic spread on the repunched digits — a distinction that collectors must observe carefully to avoid misattribution between the two closely related varieties. The 1889-O Morgan dollar has a mintage of 11,875,000 and is considered a common date in lower circulated grades, but examples exhibiting the VAM-5 doubled date feature command premiums that increase with grade and the clarity of the doubling diagnostic. New Orleans Mint Morgan dollars from the late 1880s are widely collected, and the existence of a doubled date variety adds significant numismatic interest to this already popular date-mintmark combination.

External References