1885-O VAM-13

Description

Martin Field discovered this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar variety in August 1982, with the catalog entry later revised in 2011. Designated VAM-13 (revised) with classification III2 10 - C3a (Far Date), the distinguishing feature is a date positioned further right than normal on the obverse die. A notable die marker consists of fine horizontal die scratches at the back of Liberty's neck, which help identify this specific die pairing even on worn specimens where the far date position might be less obvious. The far date position resulted from the placement of the date logotype during die preparation — each working die received its date from a four-digit punch that was positioned by hand, and variations in placement created positional varieties that VAM researchers systematically catalog. The 1885-O Morgan Dollar had a mintage of approximately 9.19 million coins at the New Orleans Mint, which was operating during the peak years of mandated silver dollar production under the Bland-Allison Act and its successor legislation. Positional varieties like far dates provide collectors with an accessible entry point into VAM collecting, as the shifted date can often be detected without high magnification by comparing the digit positions against a normal example. The 2011 revision to the catalog entry suggests updated research refined the original classification.

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