1890-O VAM-4

Description

George Mallis first documented this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar variety in July 1964, making it one of the earlier VAM discoveries in the catalog. Designated VAM-4 (revised) with the classification III22 - C3i (Doubled 0, O/O Inside) and die pairing 181, the obverse shows the final digit 0 in the date doubled at the top outside, indicating the date punch was impressed twice with slight displacement. The reverse carries a Type III O mintmark that has been doubled, appearing as a thick broken line at the top inside of the letter. The 1890 New Orleans Mint produced approximately 10.7 million Morgan Dollars, one of the facility's larger outputs during the Gilded Age silver dollar production mandated by the Bland-Allison Act and its successor legislation. The doubled date digit and doubled mintmark on VAM-4 represent two independent die preparation errors — the date was punched into the obverse working die while the mintmark was applied separately to the reverse working die, and both operations involved misalignment on second impression. VAM varieties from the 1890-O date are actively collected, with the doubled 0 providing a clear diagnostic focal point for collectors examining coins from this date.

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