1878-CC VAM-5

Description

Originally designated VAM-5 with widely spaced CC mintmarks, this 1878 Carson City Morgan Dollar was later reclassified as VAM-22 when the reverse die was described in greater detail — a common occurrence in the evolving Van Allen-Mallis catalog system as new diagnostic information refines existing attributions. The obverse is die variety II 3, a normal 1878-P Type II die featuring a broken point off the number 4 star on the right, identified as a hub defect present on all dies struck from this hub. The reverse is die variety B1d, a normal Type B1 die with widely spaced mint marks classified as III CC at medium height. The wide CC spacing is the primary diagnostic for this variety, distinguishing it from other 1878-CC reverse dies where the two C letters are positioned closer together. The 1878-CC Morgan Dollar is the inaugural issue from the Carson City Mint under the Bland-Allison Act, which mandated the Treasury purchase and coin millions of ounces of silver annually. Carson City processed silver from the Comstock Lode in nearby Virginia City, Nevada, and its coins carry the CC mintmark that is among the most prized in all of American numismatics. The reclassification from VAM-5 to VAM-22 demonstrates the catalog's self-correcting methodology, where improved reverse descriptions supersede earlier, less detailed attributions.

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