1885-O VAM-23

Description

Brent Fogelberg identified this New Orleans Mint Morgan dollar variety in March 2005, and it received the VAM-23 designation under classification III21 with a C3h reverse die pairing (die marriage 181). The defining diagnostic on the reverse is the slight doubling along the left side of the arrow shaft and at the bottom edges of the arrowheads, accompanied by doubling on designer George T. Morgan's initial M below the wreath tie. The O mint mark is positioned far to the right of its typical placement and stands in an upright orientation, a detail that separates this die from other 1885-O varieties where the mint mark may tilt or sit in a more centered location. The reverse classification C3h specifically denotes this combination of doubled arrow components with the rightward-displaced, upright mint mark. The 1885-O Morgan dollar is one of the more common dates in the series with a mintage of 9.185 million, yet it is especially popular among VAM collectors because the New Orleans facility produced numerous interesting die varieties during this period of heavy silver dollar coinage. Locating the doubled arrowheads requires oblique lighting at moderate magnification, and the rightward O placement provides a quick preliminary screening tool before detailed examination of the arrow shafts.

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