1898-O VAM-21

Description

Mark Kimpton discovered this Morgan Dollar variety in September 2002, identifying a repunched O mintmark with the secondary impression shifted high — designated O/O High. The technical classification is III21 - C3f with die pairing number 181, and the reverse die (C3f) shows a normal die with a medium size O mint mark that is strongly doubled at the top outside and bottom inside of the letter. This doubling pattern — visible at the top exterior and bottom interior of the O — indicates that the mintmark punch was applied twice to the reverse working die with the second application shifted upward from the first, leaving traces of the original lower position visible within and around the primary mintmark impression. Repunched mintmarks on Morgan Dollars are among the most collected VAM sub-categories because they provide clear, visually engaging diagnostics that can often be confirmed without extreme magnification. The New Orleans Mint produced approximately 4.44 million Morgan Dollars in 1898, a moderate mintage that places the 1898-O in the middle tier of availability within the series. The O/O High classification joins a substantial roster of repunched mintmark varieties documented for New Orleans Morgan Dollars, reflecting the imprecision inherent in the hand-punching process used to apply mintmarks to individual working dies throughout the 19th century. Kimpton's 2002 discovery added another entry to the 1898-O VAM catalog at a time when the VAM collecting community was experiencing significant growth driven by online forums and digital photography that made die variety attribution more accessible.

External References