1883-O VAM-1D

Description

Brent Fogelberg discovered this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar variety in November 2000, now cataloged as VAM-1D III2 1 - C3a (Die Gouge Wing) with die sequence notation "(181)." The reverse displays a vertical die gouge descending from the bottom of the eagle's left wing, along with a short spike protruding from the top inside of the eagle's right wing — both features resulting from damage to the reverse die surface, likely incurred during die maintenance, handling, or an accidental impact. Die gouges differ mechanically from die cracks and die breaks in that they are caused by physical damage from an external object rather than by the accumulated stress of repeated striking. The vertical orientation of the primary gouge from the wing bottom and the spike from the opposite wing's interior create a recognizable diagnostic pattern that makes attribution straightforward under magnification. The 1883-O Morgan Dollar had a mintage of 8,725,000 from the New Orleans Mint, a moderate output for the facility. The VAM-1D designation as a sub-variety of the VAM-1 die marriage indicates this die pair shares the standard obverse and reverse die types for 1883-O, with the die gouges serving as the distinguishing characteristics that elevate it from the baseline VAM-1 listing. New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollars from the early 1880s are among the most actively collected in the VAM specialty, and die gouges on the eagle provide easily identifiable attribution markers.

External References