1896-O VAM-12

Description

Discovered by Maurice Dubreuil in June 1975, VAM-12 for the 1896 New Orleans Morgan Dollar is classified III2 8 under die pair 181 with the designation C3a (Doubled 18-6, Near Date). The obverse die (III2 8) displays the 1 doubled strongly below the bottom crossbar and slightly below the upper crossbar, the 8 doubled at the bottom left outside of both upper and lower loops, and the 6 doubled at the lower right outside with additional doubling on the upper inside left. The date is set closer to the bust than normal, earning the Near Date designation. The strength of doubling on the 1 — described as strong rather than slight — makes it the primary pickup point for attribution. Struck at the New Orleans Mint in 90% silver, the 1896-O is among the lower-mintage dates in the Morgan series, adding collector interest to its varieties. The New Orleans facility operated from 1838 to 1909 and produced Morgan Dollars prized for their historical Southern provenance. VAM-12 was among the earlier Morgan Dollar varieties documented by the Van Allen-Mallis research program, with its 1975 discovery dating to the foundational years of systematic VAM cataloging.

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