1889-O VAM-11

Description

William Rawlings identified the wide date spacing on VAM-11 of the 1889-O Morgan Dollar in July 1967, making it one of the earlier documented die varieties for this semi-key New Orleans date. The defining characteristic is a rightward shift of the 89 relative to the 18, creating wider-than-normal spacing between the date digits — a positional variant produced when the individual digit punches were placed differently on this working die. Classified under plate designation 11 III2 6 with die pair C3a (181), the reverse carries a mintmark positioned centered and upright. The 1889-O occupies an important position in the Morgan series as a semi-key date with a mintage of 11.875 million, and survivors in higher grades are notably scarce as heavy circulation in the Southern economy wore down much of the original mintage. For VAM collectors, identifying VAM-11 requires careful measurement of digit spacing, comparing the gap between the 8 and 9 against known normal-date specimens to confirm the wider-than-standard positioning that defines this variety. =1889-O VAM-11 Wide Date= Discovered by William Rawlings, July 1967.

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