1885-CC VAM-3

Description

Discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974 and classified as VAM-3 with the designation III2 1 - C3b (CC Tilted Left), this 1885-CC Morgan Dollar variety features a reverse where the large CC mint mark is tilted to the left with the right C positioned almost touching the ribbon tail above. The C3b reverse classification within the Van Allen-Mallis system specifically categorizes the mint mark style and positioning, and the dramatic leftward tilt of the CC provides an immediately recognizable diagnostic that experienced Morgan Dollar collectors can identify by visual inspection. A scratch in front of Liberty's eye on the obverse is noted as an additional attribution marker. The 1885-CC Morgan Dollar was struck at the Carson City Mint in Nevada — one of the most romanticized mint facilities in American numismatics, associated with the Comstock Lode silver bonanza that fueled Western expansion. Carson City operated from 1870 through 1893 (with interruptions), and its distinctive CC mint mark has become synonymous with premium collector value. The 1885-CC carries a relatively modest mintage of 228,000 coins, making it one of the lower-mintage Carson City Morgan Dollars, though the date is more available than its mintage suggests because many specimens were distributed from Treasury vaults through the General Services Administration sales of the 1970s and 1980s. Three VAM varieties documented for the 1885-CC reflects the more limited die pair usage compared to high-mintage Philadelphia or New Orleans issues. Hinckley's 1974 discovery came during the formative period of VAM collecting, when systematic examination of Morgan Dollar die varieties was building the foundation that would eventually catalog thousands of distinct die pair combinations across the entire series.

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