1895-O VAM-1

Description

Representing the normal die baseline for the 1895-O Morgan Dollar, the VAM-1 pairs a Type III2 die 1 obverse with a C3a reverse carrying a medium size III O mint mark that is centered and upright. The 1895-O is a key semi-scarce date in the Morgan Dollar series — the New Orleans Mint produced only 450,000 examples, among the lowest O-mint Morgan Dollar mintages — and this scarcity elevates every variety for the date, including the baseline VAM-1. The medium III O mint mark designation identifies the specific punch used: a Type III O that is medium in size relative to other O punches documented across the New Orleans Mint's Morgan Dollar production years. Normal die VAMs establish the reference configuration against which all other varieties for a given date and mint are identified, making the VAM-1 the foundational catalog entry. The 1895-O's low mintage means that die variety specialists working through the date have a relatively small surviving population to examine, and even the normal die pairing can command significant premiums in higher grades. Within the broader 1895 Morgan Dollar landscape, the Philadelphia issue is the legendary proof-only date, making the O-mint and S-mint the only available business strike options for date collectors.

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