1879-O VAM-19

Description

Discovered by Bill Deterline in July 1978, VAM-19 identifies a doubled date on the 1879 New Orleans Morgan Dollar — classified as III2 13 with a C3a reverse bearing an oval medium mintmark centered and upright. The obverse doubling affects both the 8 and 7: the 8 is doubled slightly at the bottom left outside of both loops, while the 7 shows doubling below the crossbar. An open 9 distinguishes this obverse die further. The numerical designation (176) in the VAM catalog positions this within the comprehensive emission sequence for 1879-O die marriages. New Orleans struck approximately 2.89 million Morgan Dollars in 1879, a modest production figure that makes O-mint issues from this date genuinely scarcer than their Philadelphia counterparts. The New Orleans Mint, located on Esplanade Avenue, had resumed coinage operations in 1879 after being closed during and after the Civil War, making the 1879-O one of the earliest post-reconstruction Morgan Dollar issues from this facility. VAM-19's doubled date provides collectors with a clear attribution point that complements the broader study of New Orleans die marriages, where die shipments from Philadelphia and the tropical Louisiana climate created conditions that affected die performance and longevity throughout the Morgan Dollar era.

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