1880-O VAM-18

Description

Discovered by Bill Fivaz in September 1976, VAM-18 of the 1880 New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar is classified as a Doubled 1-8 variety — die doubling visible on the first two digits of the date. The obverse, classified III2 14, shows the numeral 1 tripled on the top left outside of the upper crossbar and doubled on the top left and right, with slight doubling below the bottom crossbar. The second 8 is doubled slightly at the lower left outside of the upper loop. This pattern of tripling on the 1 combined with doubling on the 8 indicates that the date was impressed into the die through multiple hubbing operations that did not align precisely. New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollars are widely collected for their distinctive striking characteristics — the New Orleans facility often produced coins with softer strikes and different luster qualities compared to Philadelphia or San Francisco issues. Bill Fivaz, co-author of the Cherrypicker's Guide to Rare Die Varieties, is one of the most prolific discoverers in the VAM catalog. The obverse classification 18 III2 14 with reverse C3a places this within the broader Van Allen-Mallis reference framework.

External References