1882-O VAM-13

Description

Discovered by Tom DeLorey in March 1974, VAM-13 on the 1882-O Morgan dollar combines two distinct obverse and reverse features: a doubled 2 and an O/O mintmark repunched to the lower left. Cataloged as 13 III2 9 - C3h (Doubled 2, O/O Lower Left), the obverse die designated III2 9 shows the 2 in the date doubled with a horizontal curved line just above the bottom crossbar — a diagnostic best examined under magnification where the secondary impression of the crossbar's upper edge becomes visible. The reverse classification C3h documents the repunched mintmark, where the original O impression is visible on the lower left side of the opening of the final O mintmark. Mintmark repunching on New Orleans Morgan dollars is particularly collected because the O punch was applied by hand at the Philadelphia Mint before the reverse dies were shipped south, and any imprecision in that process left permanent evidence on the die. The combination of obverse date doubling with reverse mintmark repunching on the same die pair creates a two-feature variety that appeals to collectors from both the date/die doubling community and the repunched mintmark community. New Orleans produced approximately 6.1 million Morgan dollars in 1882, and Tom DeLorey's early discovery date of 1974 places this among the longer-known VAM varieties in the series, well-established in the reference literature.

External References