1879-O VAM-8

Description

Discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974, the VAM-8 attribution for the 1879-O Morgan dollar identifies an open 9 date paired with a large O mintmark, cataloged in the Van Allen-Mallis system as 8 III2 2 C3b (Open 9, Large O) with a die pair rarity number of (176). The obverse die, classified as III2 2, is a normal die of the III2 type featuring the distinctive open 9 in the date, where the tail of the numeral does not close into a complete loop. The reverse die, C3b, is a normal die of the C3 type bearing a large O mintmark positioned centrally between the wreath bow elements, in the style designated as IV O. Commentary in the VAM reference notes that all examples are "undoubtedly VAM-8A, VAM-44, VAM-44A," suggesting that die state progression connects this listing to related die marriages in the catalog. The 1879-O Morgan dollar was struck at the New Orleans Mint with a total mintage of 2.887 million pieces, a relatively low figure compared to the massive outputs from the Philadelphia and San Francisco facilities during the same year. George T. Morgan's Liberty Head obverse and heraldic eagle reverse were in only their second year of production, and the design was still being refined across the various mint facilities. The open 9 date style is a key diagnostic for sorting 1879-O Morgans into their proper VAM attributions, and collectors can often identify this feature without magnification by comparing the 9 against a closed 9 example. The VAM system, developed by Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis, provides the most comprehensive die marriage catalog for Morgan and Peace dollars, and VAM-8 represents a well-established entry that has been studied for over fifty years since Hinckley's original discovery.

External References