1900-O VAM-2

Description

George Mallis — whose surname provides the "M" in the VAM designation system alongside Leroy Van Allen's "V" and "A" — discovered the 1900-O VAM-2 Morgan dollar in June 1965, cataloging an obverse die with an open 9 in the date. The designation reads 2 III2 2 · C3a (Open 9), identifying an Obverse III2 2 — a normal die of the III2 type distinguished by the open-looped numeral 9 — paired with a Reverse C3a normal die. George T. Morgan's silver dollar was produced in considerable volume at the New Orleans Mint in 1900, with a mintage of approximately 12.59 million coins, making it one of the more accessible O-mint dates in the series. The open 9 diagnostic refers to the numeral punch used to engrave the date: an open 9 has a visible gap in the upper loop rather than a fully enclosed circular top, and this punch characteristic is die-specific because each working die received its date individually through a hand-punching process. Open versus closed 9 distinctions form an important category within Morgan dollar VAM attributions, as they identify which specific date punches were used in the die shop and can correlate with other die characteristics. The C3a reverse classification identifies a standard reverse hub type with a centered and normally positioned mintmark. Emission sequence data for both obverse and reverse dies, and DPIS (Die Pair Identification System) entries, remain unlisted — open documentation areas where future research may establish the production chronology for this die pair. As a June 1965 discovery by one of the VAM system's co-founders, this variety represents some of the earliest systematic Morgan dollar variety documentation. Collectors should examine the upper loop of the 9 in the date under 10-15x magnification, looking for a clearly visible gap distinguishing it from the closed-loop variant.

External References