1879-O VAM-23

Description

Discovered by Leroy Van Allen himself in December 1981, this New Orleans Morgan Dollar variety features a tripled 8 and doubled 9 in the date — a combination of overlapping hub impressions that gives the date digits a distinctive thickness. The 8 is tripled at the left inside of the upper loop, while the 9 shows slight doubling on the left outside of its upper loop. Classified as 23 III2 16 with a C3a reverse, the coin carries an oval medium mint mark centered and upright on a normal reverse die. VAM-23 shares its die pair with VAM-23A, which represents an earlier emission before die pitting developed in the letters of DOLLAR. The emission sequence runs 23A then 23, and while VAM-23 is known with evidence of reverse die clashing, the pitted VAM-23A shows no sign of clashing — providing a useful diagnostic for distinguishing the two die states. The Gilded Age New Orleans Mint produced Morgan Dollars in large quantities, and doubled-date varieties from this facility are actively pursued by the VAM collecting community.

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