1885-O VAM-15

Description

Originally discovered by Jym Braun in April 1999, the 1885-O VAM-15 was classified as 15(revised) III21 - C3e (Doubled AMERICA, Gouge in Wing) at rarity 181. This 90% silver Morgan Dollar from the New Orleans Mint showed slight doubling of the MERICA letters and middle leaves of the right wreath toward the rim on the reverse. The O mint mark, designated III, sits slightly to the right, and a small vertical die gouge appears in the eagle's left wing next to the leg. However, the LVA (Leroy Van Allen) Comments formally note that VAM-15 has been eliminated — it was determined to be the late die state (LDS) of 1885-O VAM-28. This reclassification is a normal part of the evolving VAM catalog, where continued research sometimes reveals that what appeared to be a distinct die marriage is actually a later state of an already-documented pairing, identifiable once die deterioration is accounted for. The elimination preserves VAM-15's historical place in the catalog numbering — the number is not reassigned — while directing attributors to VAM-28 as the controlling variety. Collectors holding coins originally attributed as VAM-15 now hold late die state examples of VAM-28.

External References