1879-O VAM-39A

Description

Discovered by C. Logan McKechnie in December 2005, the 1879-O VAM-39A Morgan Dollar combines doubled date digits 1 through 7 with doubled left reverse elements and a clashed obverse showing transferred n and st from the reverse inscription. The date doubling spanning four digits indicates substantial hub displacement during die manufacture. The reverse doubling concentrates on the left side design elements, while the obverse clash marks — partial letter transfers from the reverse die making direct contact — add a third layer of die anomaly. The clashed n and st are vestiges of IN GOD WE TRUST transferred when the dies closed without a planchet between them. This combination of hub doubling on both sides plus die clashing makes the VAM-39A a multi-error variety where attribution requires examining date doubling, reverse displacement, and clash remnants. The New Orleans Mint struck 2,887,000 Morgan Dollars in 1879, a moderate output. McKechnie's 2005 discovery demonstrates that new VAM varieties continue to surface on well-studied dates as researchers examine surviving specimens with increasing precision. ;Emission Sequence :Obverse: :Reverse: Comments: # Later die state of 1879-O VAM-39.

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