1891-O VAM-17

Description

Discovered by David Borofski in February 2006, the 1891-O VAM-17 Morgan Dollar carries the classification III21 / C3h (Doubled Left Wreath) with die pairing number 181. The reverse (C3h) exhibits slightly doubled wreath leaves in the left wreath — a subtle but diagnostically meaningful feature produced during the hub-to-die transfer process. Community observations supplement the core classification with several additional attribution aids: some specimens display a clockwise rotation of approximately 5 to 7 degrees; the mintmark appears positioned right at the upper edge of the normal high placement range; and the date is slanted. The mintmark is specifically noted as different from that of the related 1891-O VAM-17A, though both varieties share the doubled left wreath characteristic — indicating they use different reverse dies that both happen to exhibit left wreath doubling, a coincidence that requires careful mintmark comparison to resolve. The Morgan Dollar was designed by George T. Morgan and struck at the New Orleans Mint in 1891, composed of 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams with a diameter of 38.1 mm and a reeded edge. The 1891-O had a mintage of approximately 7.95 million pieces. The combination of the clockwise rotation observation, high mintmark, and slanted date provides collectors with multiple verification points beyond the primary doubled left wreath diagnostic — particularly valuable because subtle wreath doubling can be difficult to confirm with certainty, and the supplementary features help build confidence in the attribution when examined as a constellation of consistent characteristics.

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