1890-CC VAM-8

Description

Discovered by Leroy Van Allen himself — co-creator of the VAM classification system alongside A. George Mallis — this 1890 Carson City Morgan Dollar variety carries a special provenance in the world of Morgan Dollar variety research. Documented in November 1975 during the foundational era of VAM cataloging, the variety is designated "Far Date" because the date is set further to the right than the normal position. The VAM plate reads 8 III2 3 - C3a, with III2 identifying the obverse die class, 3 the die pair, and C3a the reverse die class. On the reverse, polishing marks are visible within the opening of the CC mint mark — evidence of die maintenance at the Philadelphia die shop where all dies were manufactured before shipment to branch mints including Carson City. The Carson City Mint, which operated from 1870 to 1893, produced coins that rank among the most collectible in all of American numismatics, and any CC-mint Morgan Dollar commands significant collector interest. That this variety was discovered by one of the system's architects lends it additional historical weight within the VAM framework. Cataloged by VAMWorld, this Van Allen discovery combines Carson City desirability with a clear positional diagnostic.

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