1897-O VAM-5

Description

Discovered by Guy Messing in June 1975, the 1897-O VAM-5 "O Set High and Left" Morgan dollar identifies a reverse die where the O mintmark sits noticeably higher and to the left of the standard position beneath the eagle's tail feathers. Cataloged as 5 III2 1 · C3d (O Set High and Left) with die number 181, this variety pairs a standard Obverse III2 1 with Reverse C3d — a reverse die type distinguished by the high-left mintmark position. George T. Morgan's silver dollar was struck at the New Orleans Mint with an approximate mintage of 4.00 million coins in 1897, a lower production figure that commands modest premiums in collector grades. Guy Messing's June 1975 discovery places this attribution among the early VAM identifications, established during the formative era when Van Allen and Mallis were constructing the systematic framework that now documents thousands of Morgan dollar die varieties. The O mintmark positioned high and to the left results from the hand-punching process used to add mintmarks to individual working dies — each reverse die received its O mintmark when a mint worker positioned the letter punch against the die surface and struck it with a hammer, and variations in both vertical position (high vs. low) and horizontal placement (left vs. right of center) occurred naturally between dies, creating the mintmark position categories that form a significant portion of the New Orleans Morgan dollar VAM classification system. The Reverse C3d classification specifically identifies this reverse die type, while the standard Obverse III2 1 establishes the normal obverse hub characteristics for the die marriage. DPIS entries and emission sequence data for both dies remain unlisted, leaving production chronology questions open.

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