1885-O VAM-18B

Description

Discovered in 2019 by the researcher known as weth, the 1885-O VAM-18B Morgan Dollar carries the designation III2 13 - C3a for Doubled 18 Top and Ear, Far Date, Clashed Obverse N. This variety combines three distinct die characteristics: the digits 1 and 8 in the date show doubling at their tops, Liberty's ear displays doubling, and the date is positioned farther from the portrait than normal lateral placement. Additionally, a clashed obverse reveals a faint incuse letter n from the reverse word "In" appearing next to Liberty's neck on some late die state specimens. The classification notes that this clashed n likely appeared later than the die scratch D and die break E, establishing a relative chronology of die degradation events. This variety was formerly designated VAM-13A before being reclassified. The 1885-O Morgan Dollar was struck at the New Orleans Mint in 90% silver (10% copper) composition, weighing 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter and reeded edge. The New Orleans Mint, which operated from 1838 to 1909, produced Morgan Dollars that are prized for their historical Southern provenance. The 1885-O date is notable in the Morgan series for its high mintage of 9,185,000 combined with the fact that many coins were stored in Treasury vaults and released in the 1960s, producing a supply of mint-state survivors disproportionate to their age.

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