1880-O Overdate WOVD-001

Description

Attributed by the Wexler Team as 1880-O $1 WOVD-001 and cross-referenced as VAM-6, this overdate variety on the 1880-O Morgan Dollar is an 1880/79 overdate where remnants of the underlying 7 from an 1879-dated die are visible beneath the second 8 in the date. Two serifs of the 7 appear as short spikes above the 8, and the crossbar of the 7 is visible inside the upper loop of the 8, producing the distinctive "8/7 Spike" feature that characterizes this die. The obverse displays strong die clash marks at the mouth and back of the cap in later die states, while the reverse shows strong die clash marks throughout the fields along with a die gouge in the upper left wreath. This die progressed through at least six documented die states sharing the same obverse die, from an unclashed proof-like state through multiple clashing events that left increasingly pronounced clash marks on both sides. VAM-6 is recognized as a Top 100 Morgan VAM, placing it among the most significant and collectible Morgan Dollar varieties. Overdates represent one of the most dramatic variety types in numismatics: they occur when a die bearing one year's date is repurposed for the following year by re-impressing the new date over the old, leaving traces of the original digits visible beneath the corrected date. This practice was common at the New Orleans Mint during the Morgan Dollar era as a cost-saving measure, since dies represented significant production investment and recycling them conserved resources. The 1880-O Morgan Dollar was struck at the New Orleans facility with a mintage of approximately 5.3 million pieces. George T. Morgan's Liberty Head design, in only its third year of production, was being struck across four mint facilities — Philadelphia, San Francisco, Carson City, and New Orleans — each with its own die preparation and maintenance practices. The combination of overdate and die clash evidence on WOVD-001 documents a die that saw eventful service: first repurposed from an 1879 die, then experiencing multiple clash events during its working life.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wendall Carper Cross References: VAM: #6
• VAM: #6; Wexler Variety ID: 1880-O $1 WOVD-001
• Expert attribution by Wexler Team

External References