1891-O VAM-18

Description

John Coxe's 2009 discovery, VAM-18 records a Far Slanted Date combined with an O mintmark Tilted Right on the 1891 New Orleans Morgan Dollar, classified as III210 - C3b (181). The obverse shows the date set further right than normal with a distinct tilt — the right 1 sits higher than the left 1 — and the O mintmark on the reverse is noticeably tilted to the right, both characteristics resulting from the hand-punching process used to add dates and mintmarks to working dies. New Orleans struck 7,954,529 Morgan Dollars in 1891, a robust mintage that belied the aging facility's ongoing maintenance challenges. Comments note that this variety comes very near to qualifying as a "Very Far Date," placing it at the boundary of two positional classifications and making precise measurement essential for accurate attribution. The dual anomaly of a far slanted date and a tilted mintmark means two separate hand-punching operations — date and mintmark — both deviated from standard positioning on this particular die, compounding the die's distinctiveness. The classification number 181 within the VAM system and the C3b reverse designation provide the technical framework for cataloging. Collectors should compare the date tilt angle against known references to distinguish VAM-18 from neighboring date position varieties in the extensive 1891-O catalog.

External References