1890-O VAM-2

Description

Melvin Carmichael's August 1951 discovery of this variety predates the formal establishment of the VAM catalog system by over two decades, making it one of the earliest documented die marriages for the 1890-O Morgan dollar. Cataloged as VAM-2 with the designation 2 III2 1 - C3b (High O), this variety's defining feature is a reverse mintmark set noticeably high and upright compared to the standard O position below the eagle's tail feathers. George T. Morgan's heraldic eagle reverse received its New Orleans mintmark through individual hand-punching of each working die, and placement variations — high, low, tilted left, tilted right — were natural consequences of this manual process. The "high and upright" description indicates the O sits above the standard vertical position while maintaining proper rotational alignment (upright rather than tilted), distinguishing it from varieties where the mintmark is both displaced and rotated. New Orleans struck approximately 10.7 million Morgan dollars in 1890, and the catalog number 181 cross-references this variety's position in the foundational VAM reference work. The III2 obverse die type paired with a C3b reverse situates this variety within the standard late-date die classification families, with the reverse C3b designation specifically identifying the die variant that carries the high mintmark. DPIS (Die Pair Identification System) data remains unlisted, and emission sequence information for both obverse and reverse dies has not been documented. Collectors examining 1890-O Morgan dollars should compare the vertical position of the O mintmark against reference images of the normal placement, using 7-10x magnification to assess whether the mintmark sits above the expected centerline relative to the eagle's tail feather tips and the wreath bow beneath.

External References