1892-CC VAM-5

Description

Discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974, VAM-5 on the 1892-CC Morgan Dollar documents a Wide CC mint mark — the paired C letters from Carson City spaced more broadly than standard positioning. The obverse die, classified III2 3, presents a normal die with a closed 2 in the date, while the reverse classified C3d shows the V-shaped CC mint mark set at medium height but with noticeably wider spacing between the two letters. Carson City Morgan Dollars rank among the most coveted issues in American numismatics, and 1892-CC holds particular significance as the final year the Carson City Mint produced Morgan Dollars. With a mintage of approximately 1.35 million pieces, the 1892-CC is scarce in absolute terms, and the CC mint mark — synonymous with Comstock Lode silver from Nevada — commands premiums across all grades. The Wide CC spacing of VAM-5 provides a straightforward diagnostic collectors can check without high magnification, making it an accessible cherrypicking target. The plate notation 5 III2 3 with C3d positions this within the Van Allen-Mallis framework, and Hinckley's 1974 discovery predates widespread adoption of the VAM system.

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