1883-O VAM-12

Description

Discovered by Charles Wallace in April 1970, the 1883-O VAM-12 "O Set Left" Morgan dollar documents a reverse die where the O mintmark has been positioned slightly to the left of its standard placement beneath the wreath on George T. Morgan's silver dollar reverse. Cataloged as 12 III2 1 - C3i (O Set Left) with catalog number 181, this variety employs the Reverse C3i die classification, distinguishing it from the more common C3a reverse types through its mintmark positioning. New Orleans struck approximately 8.73 million Morgan dollars in 1883, a production year notable for the simultaneous issuance of the "No Cents" and "With Cents" Liberty Head nickel varieties, though the Morgan dollar production proceeded without comparable drama. Mintmark placement varieties are fundamental to Morgan dollar VAM collecting because each working die received its mintmark through a separate hand-punching operation performed at the branch mint — a New Orleans mint worker positioned a small O punch against the die and struck it with a hammer, and the precise location, depth, tilt, and rotation of each mintmark application varied. The "set left" designation indicates the O mintmark sits measurably to the left of the standard centering position beneath the reverse wreath, a displacement detectable by comparison against reference specimens showing normal mintmark placement. Charles Wallace's discovery in 1970 predates the publication of the first comprehensive VAM reference and reflects the early systematic research that would eventually produce the Van Allen-Mallis catalog system. DPIS entries and emission sequence documentation for both obverse and reverse dies remain unlisted. Collectors should examine the mintmark position under 10-15x magnification, comparing horizontal centering against confirmed normal examples.

External References