1888-O VAM-27

Description

Discovered by Mark Kimpton in June 2003, the 1888-O VAM-27 Morgan Dollar carries the classification III216 · C3a (Doubled Ear) with die pairing number 181. The obverse (III216) exhibits doubling at the right inside and bottom outside of Liberty's ear — a two-zone ear doubling pattern where the secondary impression manifests both within the ear canal area and along the external earlobe contour. The date is positioned in the normal range. The DPIS (Date Position in Shield) is recorded as LH3/B45, providing standardized measurement coordinates. A detailed examination by VAM specialist "vampicker" of the discovery piece revealed additional undocumented features: a line within the lower ear space visible in the plate photograph, several nearly horizontal lines through the lower half of the D-shaped ear void, and a very slight rightward tilt on the mintmark — observations that expand the diagnostic profile beyond the formal catalog description. These community annotations illustrate the collaborative nature of VAM attribution, where hands-on examination of discovery pieces supplements official catalog entries with field observations. The reverse (C3a) is classified as a normal die. George T. Morgan designed this silver dollar, struck at the New Orleans Mint in 1888 in 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter and a reeded edge. The 1888-O had a mintage of approximately 12.2 million pieces. Kimpton's prolific contribution to Morgan Dollar variety documentation — multiple discoveries bearing his name across numerous dates — reflects the depth of specialist study applied to the series. The ear doubling zone provides a focused examination area where angled lighting and 10x magnification best reveal the secondary impression within the ear's recessed detail.

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