1896-O VAM-18A

Description

Discovered by Mark Kimpton in August 2003 and designated a Kimpton 12 Morgan VAM, the 1896-O VAM-18A Morgan Dollar carries the revised classification III21 · C3f (High O, Clashed Obverse G & t) with die pairing number 181. The obverse (III21) displays clashed die evidence with the very left side of the G from "God" on the reverse showing next to Liberty's neck, along with a partial lowercase "t" from "Trust" visible in the right hair vee of the lower hair edge. These transferred letter impressions document a clashing event where the obverse and reverse dies struck each other without a planchet between them, imprinting reverse design elements onto the obverse die — and the specific location of the transferred G and t reveals the precise alignment of the two dies during the clash impact. The "Kimpton 12" designation identifies this as one of Mark Kimpton's twelve personally selected Morgan Dollar VAM varieties of particular significance, a collector-curated distinction recognizing varieties with exceptional numismatic interest. The reverse (C3f) features a High O mintmark — the New Orleans mintmark set higher than the standard position within the wreath. George T. Morgan designed this silver dollar, struck at the New Orleans Mint in 1896 in 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. The 1896-O had a mintage of approximately 4.9 million pieces. Clashed die varieties are among the most visually interesting in VAM collecting because the transferred letters provide unmistakable evidence of the manufacturing anomaly, and the specific letters transferred — G and t in this case — uniquely fingerprint the die orientation during the clash event, making each clashed VAM variety a window into the die pair's production history.

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