1892-CC VAM-3

Description

The 1892-CC VAM-3, discovered by A. George Mallis in June 1965, is a Morgan dollar variety struck at the Carson City Mint featuring a Doubled 2 in the date. Classified as III2 2 - C3b, this variety comes from one of the most celebrated mintmark facilities in American numismatic history. The Carson City Mint in Nevada operated from 1870 through 1893, and its products bearing the CC mintmark are universally sought by collectors. Carson City produced only 1,352,000 Morgan dollars in 1892, the penultimate year of the mint's operations, making the base coin already scarce before considering specific die varieties. The Morgan dollar was struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. On the obverse, the 2 digit of the date is doubled at the top, the primary diagnostic for this VAM designation. VAMWorld commentary notes that this die is clashed in multiple locations on both the obverse and reverse, adding die state complexity to the variety. There is also a diagonal gouge line extending from the junction of the eagle's right wing and leg on the reverse, visible in enlarged photographs. The clashing in multiple locations suggests the obverse and reverse dies came together without a planchet between them on at least one occasion during the die's working life, transferring design elements from one die to the other. The discovery by A. George Mallis in 1965 places this among the earliest documented VAM varieties, as the Van Allen-Mallis cataloging system that gave VAM its name was being developed during this period. Carson City Morgan dollars with confirmed VAM designations command strong premiums, as the combination of low mintage, CC mintmark desirability, and specific die variety documentation appeals to both series collectors and variety specialists.

External References