1880-O VAM-1D

Description

Discovered in 2009, this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar is designated VAM-1D with classification III2 1 - C3a (Small O, Dot at Eye) and die pairing 176, carrying a rarity rating of I-2 R-5, indicating it is quite scarce with an estimated population of only 1 to 30 known specimens. The obverse die exhibits a small raised die chip in front of Liberty's eye — the defining "dot at eye" characteristic — along with a small diagonal die scratch in front of the hair curl at the ear, and very slight doubling at the top left and right of both the 8 and the 0 in the date. The reverse shares its die with VAM-53A, featuring a small Type III O mintmark in the C3a position. The 1880-O Morgan Dollar had a mintage of approximately 5.3 million coins struck at the New Orleans Mint during the early production years under the Bland-Allison Act's silver purchase mandates. The R-5 rarity rating makes this one of the more elusive varieties in the 1880-O VAM catalog, and the die chip in front of the eye provides an unmistakable visual identifier even at moderate magnification. Die chips form when small fragments of the hardened steel die face break away, leaving a void that fills with metal during striking to produce a raised bump on the coin — a progressive deterioration that typically worsens through the die's working life.

External References