1891-CC VAM-1

Description

As the final year of Morgan Dollar production at the legendary Carson City Mint, 1891-CC holds a place of singular importance in the series, and VAM-1 establishes the baseline normal die pairing against which all other 1891-CC varieties are measured. The obverse presents a normal die of the III2 type, while the reverse carries a C3 type die with the distinctive CC mintmark letters set apart and showing a slight tilt to the left. Carson City, established in 1870 to serve the Comstock Lode silver mines, produced Morgan Dollars intermittently from 1878 through this final 1891 issue, and every CC-mintmarked coin carries a premium driven by the facility's frontier history and low production figures. The CC mintmark was applied by hand to each die, and even on normal pairings like VAM-1, variations in letter spacing distinguish one die from another. Cataloged as plate 1 III2 1 C3a, this variety serves as the reference standard for the date. Struck in 90% silver and 10% copper, the 1891-CC Morgan Dollar represents the closing chapter of Carson City coinage, elevating even the normal die pairing to considerable collector interest.

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