1886-O VAM-24

Description

Discovered in 2012 by Gary Voyles (known in the VAM community as 4sdair), this VAM-24 variety of the 1886-O Morgan Dollar displays doubled date digits — the 8 shows doubling slightly at the lower right outside of its lower loop, while the 6 shows strong doubling at the top outside. Classified as 24 III2 16 - C3a (Doubled 8-6) with catalog number 181, this variety documents one of the more visible date-doubling varieties among New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollars. The die marker of polishing lines inside the ear provides a secondary diagnostic for attribution. The 1886-O Morgan Dollar is a significant date in the series, with a mintage of approximately 10.7 million — substantial production yet considerably less than Philadelphia's output that year. The New Orleans Mint, operating from 1838 to 1909 in the French Quarter, produced Morgan Dollars with characteristics sometimes distinct from their Philadelphia and San Francisco counterparts due to differences in die preparation and press maintenance. George T. Morgan's Liberty Head obverse, with its date positioned at the six o'clock position below the portrait, was particularly susceptible to date doubling when working dies received misaligned hub impressions. The VAM cataloging system created by Van Allen and Mallis has documented hundreds of die varieties across the Morgan Dollar series.

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