1880-O VAM-14

Description

Discovered by Francis Davis in May 1975, this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar variety is designated "Doubled 80, Small O" for the doubling visible on the final two digits of the date and the smaller-than-typical O mintmark. Classified as VAM-14 III2 11 with emission sequence number 176, the obverse shows the second 8 doubled slightly at the outside top left and right of the numeral, while the 0 in the date is doubled slightly at the top left outside. The doubling on both digits — the 8 and the 0 — indicates the date logotype shifted between hubbing impressions, affecting the rightmost portion of the date where geometric displacement was sufficient to produce a detectable secondary image. The "Small O" mintmark, smaller than the standard O punch used for most 1880 New Orleans issues, identifies a different mintmark punch tool. Researchers have noted that this variety may be a duplicate listing with 1880-O VAM-46, suggesting ongoing classification work to determine whether the two attributions represent the same or distinct die pairings. Francis Davis was among the early researchers whose 1970s discoveries helped build the foundational Morgan Dollar variety catalog.

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