1901-O VAM-21

Description

Discovered by Martin Field in August 1979, the 1901-O VAM-21 "Far Date" Morgan dollar identifies an obverse die where the date 1901 is positioned noticeably further to the right than the standard placement. Cataloged as 21 III2 5 - C3a (Far Date) with die number 181 noted in parentheses, this variety pairs an Obverse III2 5 — on which the date was punched in a rightward-shifted position — with a standard Reverse C3a. George T. Morgan's silver dollar design was struck prolifically at the New Orleans Mint in 1901, with a mintage of approximately 13.32 million pieces making it one of the more common O-mint dates in the series. Date position varieties in Morgan dollars arise from the hand-punching process used to add the four-digit date to each working die individually — an engraver positioned the date logotype or individual digit punches against the die face and struck them with a hammer, creating natural variation in horizontal and vertical placement from die to die. The "far" designation indicates this die's date sits measurably further right than the typical position established by the majority of 1901-O dies, providing a positional diagnostic that can be confirmed by overlaying or comparing against standard-date specimens. Martin Field's August 1979 discovery places this attribution in the foundational era of VAM documentation, when Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis's original catalog was being expanded by early researchers who systematically examined roll quantities of common-date Morgan dollars. Emission sequence data for both obverse and reverse dies remains unlisted, leaving the production chronology as an open research question. Collectors should measure the date position relative to Liberty's neck truncation and the rim to confirm the rightward displacement that defines VAM-21.

External References