1904-O VAM-11A

Description

Discovered by Laurence Galbraith in June 2006, this VAM-11A substage of the 1904 New Orleans Morgan Dollar combines a doubled profile (obverse die III27) with a die break at the right side of the wreath opposite RI in AMERICA on reverse die C4a. The VAM designation 11A III27 C4a (181) places this within the Van Allen-Mallis catalog system under the parent VAM-11 classification, with the "A" suffix indicating a die state or die pairing variation from the base listing. The small die chip at the outside of the right wreath opposite RI in AMERICA is the key reverse diagnostic that distinguishes VAM-11A from the parent VAM-11. The doubled profile on obverse III27 shows slight doubling from the hair above the forehead down to the upper part of the neck on Liberty's portrait — a feature shared with the parent variety. The 1904-O Morgan Dollar was struck at the New Orleans Mint during what would be its final full decade of operation — the facility closed permanently in 1909. New Orleans Morgan Dollars are collected for their Southern provenance and the distinctive strike characteristics associated with the facility's aging equipment. The combination of a doubled profile with a progressing die break on the wreath provides die state information about the relative sequence in which these coins were struck from this specific die pair.

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