1879-O VAM-21

Description

Discovered by Leroy Van Allen in June 1980, the 1879-O VAM-21 Morgan Dollar is classified as 21 III2 14 - C3a, a Doubled 187 variety struck at the New Orleans Mint. Leroy Van Allen, co-creator of the VAM attribution system alongside A. George Mallis, personally discovered this variety during the early systematic cataloging of Morgan Dollar dies that would eventually grow into the comprehensive reference used by collectors worldwide. The 1879-O was produced in 90% silver at 26.73 grams and 38.1 mm diameter, with a mintage of 2,887,000 pieces — a relatively scarce New Orleans issue. The obverse die (III2 14) shows three of the four date digits doubled: the numeral 1 is slightly doubled below both crossbars, the 8 is doubled at the lower left outside of the upper loop and at the bottom outside of the lower loop, and the 7 is doubled slightly below the upper crossbar. The digit 9 apparently escaped the hub misalignment that affected its neighboring date numerals. The reverse die (C3a) features an oval medium mintmark that is centered and upright — a normal die classified as die pair 176. The progression of doubling from slight (on the 7) to more pronounced (on the 8's loops) to moderate (below the 1's crossbars) maps the displacement gradient across the date area, indicating the hub shift was not uniform but varied with position on the die face.

External References