1885-O VAM-7

Description

Traced to Bill Fivaz and his July 1972 research, VAM-7 on the 1885-O Morgan Dollar features a short dash positioned well below the second 8 in the date, accompanied by a vertical mark on the denticle directly underneath the 8. The sub-date dash is the primary diagnostic — a small raised line produced by a gouge in the die face that reliably distinguishes this die from others in the 1885-O census. Plated as 7 III2 7 - C3a on page 181, the variety occupies die pair 7 within Obverse Die Class III2, paired with Reverse C3a. A significant relationship exists with VAM-14: the two varieties share the same obverse die, but VAM-14 pairs it with a different reverse bearing a slightly right-shifted mint mark, making them die marriage companions differentiated solely by their reverse dies. Fivaz, widely recognized as co-author of the Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties, brought his expertise to this early 1970s attribution. New Orleans struck 9.185 million Morgan Dollars in 1885, a mid-range mintage for the facility. The shared obverse die with VAM-14 makes these two varieties a natural pair for collectors assembling comprehensive 1885-O VAM sets. =1885-O VAM-7 Dash Under 8= Discovered by Bill Fivaz, July 1972.

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