1890-CC VAM-10

Description

Discovered by Martin Field in October 1978, the 1890-CC VAM-10 Morgan Dollar carries the prestigious Carson City mintmark and exhibits doubled numerals in the date — specifically the digits 1 and 8. The obverse classification III2-6 in the Van Allen-Mallis system indicates the die characteristics, with the 1 doubled at the very bottom and on the surface at the right of the vertical shaft, and the 8 doubled at the top outside of both loops. This doubling occurred during the die preparation process, when the date was punched or hubbed into the working die with slight positional variance between impressions. Carson City Morgan Dollars occupy a special place in American numismatics: the Nevada mint operated from 1870 to 1893, producing silver dollars from Comstock Lode bullion, and every CC-mintmarked coin carries a premium born of limited production runs and Western frontier heritage. The 1890-CC had a mintage of approximately 2.3 million pieces, modest by Morgan Dollar standards but sufficient to support active VAM variety research. The III2 prefix in the obverse classification places this among the Class III doubled date varieties, and the rarity designation of 178 in the VAM reference helps collectors gauge availability. Originally cataloged as VAM-10 with the doubled 18 designation, this variety represents early VAM research from the late 1970s when systematic die variety cataloging of Morgan Dollars was still in its pioneering phase. Collectors of CC-mint Morgans prize varieties like VAM-10 as they combine the appeal of the Carson City provenance with tangible die production anomalies.

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