1901-O VAM-26

Description

Discovered by Martin Field in August 1981, the 1901-O VAM-26 "Doubled Profile" Morgan dollar documents one of the more visually dramatic obverse die varieties in the New Orleans Morgan dollar catalog. Cataloged as 26 III2 9 - C3a (Doubled Profile) (181), this variety exhibits doubling along the entire profile of George T. Morgan's Liberty portrait — forehead, nose, lips, and chin all show a displaced secondary impression that traces the full facial contour. The comprehensive scope of the profile doubling distinguishes VAM-26 from the many Morgan dollar varieties that affect only isolated design elements such as mintmarks or individual letters. New Orleans produced approximately 13.32 million Morgan dollars in 1901, a moderate mintage that generated sufficient die pairs for varieties like this doubled profile to enter the production stream. Martin Field's discovery in 1981 came during an era of intensifying VAM research when collectors and researchers were systematically examining large numbers of Morgan dollars to expand the catalog beyond the pioneering work of Van Allen and Mallis. The Obverse III2 9 die classification indicates a specific obverse die within the III2 design type, and the C3a reverse pairing confirms a standard reverse die. Profile doubling of this magnitude — affecting the continuous contour from forehead through chin — suggests a hub misalignment that displaced the secondary impression laterally relative to the primary, creating a ghost-like secondary profile line paralleling the main facial outline. Collectors should examine the coin in profile view under 10-15x magnification, tracing from forehead to chin and looking for a consistent secondary contour displaced from the primary facial outline, which should maintain uniform separation along the entire profile path.

External References