1883-O VAM-6

Description

One of the earliest discoveries in Morgan Dollar variety research, this New Orleans Mint variety was identified by Jean Hastings in January 1967 — years before the formal VAM cataloging system was established by Van Allen and Mallis. Classified as VAM-6 III2 1 C3e and designated "O/O High," the variety features a repunched mintmark where the original O is visible at the top of the opening in the recut letter, confirming that the mintmark punch was applied at least twice with the first impression positioned higher than the final placement. The emission sequence number 181 places it within the broader 1883-O catalog. Notably, the reverse die used for VAM-6 was shared across four separate VAM attributions — VAM-6, VAM-9, VAM-48, and VAM-65 — demonstrating how a single reverse die could be paired with multiple obverse dies during production. Die sharing is a fundamental aspect of Morgan Dollar production, as the New Orleans Mint would pair and re-pair obverse and reverse dies as individual dies wore out at different rates. Jean Hastings' early identification of this repunched mintmark helped establish the foundation for systematic variety research on Morgan Dollars. =1883-O VAM-6 O/O High= Discovered by Jean Hastings, January 1967.

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