1885-O VAM-32

Description

Cataloged as VAM-32 with the classification III2 10 - C3b (Far Date, O Shifted Right) and discovered in 2012, this 1885-O Morgan Dollar variety has been eliminated from the active VAM catalog as a duplicate of VAM-28. The notation "ALERT Duplicate listing of VAM 28" indicates that subsequent research determined both VAM-32 and VAM-28 describe the same die pair, with the obverse showing the date positioned further right than normal and very fine vertical polishing lines on the nose, eye, and forehead serving as a die marker. The O mint mark is shifted right on the reverse in the C3b position. Eliminations are a routine part of VAM scholarship — as the catalog grew to thousands of entries across all Morgan Dollar dates, some die pairs were inadvertently listed more than once under different VAM numbers, particularly when different researchers discovered the same variety independently. The 1885-O Morgan Dollar was struck at the New Orleans Mint with a mintage of approximately 9.18 million pieces, and large quantities survived in Treasury vaults until the great releases of the 1960s made this date one of the most available Morgan Dollars in uncirculated condition. The far date positioning and polishing lines that define this die pair remain valid diagnostics — they simply now belong under VAM-28 rather than the eliminated VAM-32 designation.

External References