1891-CC VAM-2

Description

Originally discovered by George Mallis in June 1965 — one of the earliest documented Morgan Dollar die varieties — the 1891-CC VAM-2 carries the revised classification III2 1 · C3b (High CC) with die pairing number 177. The reverse (C3b) features a distinctive mintmark configuration: the two C letters forming the Carson City CC mintmark are set close together and positioned high to the right, with the right C nearly touching the bottom of the wreath — an unusually elevated placement that makes this variety visually identifiable even without magnification when compared to standard CC positions on other 1891-CC die marriages. A thin diagonal die scratch crosses the upper tail feathers and the eagle's left leg, providing an additional reverse die marker. The variety comes in two sub-states: one with a filled left C in the CC mintmark (where die wear or debris has partially obscured the interior of the letter) and another with both CC letters clearly defined, offering collectors the opportunity to pursue both variants within the same die marriage. Notably, this variety shares the exact same obverse die as the 1891-CC VAM-3, demonstrating that the Morgan Dollar die pairing system sometimes combined one obverse die with multiple reverse dies — a die sharing practice that creates linked families of varieties traceable through their common obverse characteristics. George T. Morgan's design was struck at the Carson City Mint in 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter. The 1891-CC had a mintage of approximately 1.618 million pieces, among the lower production figures for the series. George Mallis, the original discoverer, was a pioneering figure in systematic Morgan Dollar die variety research during the 1960s, and this variety's early documentation date reflects the foundational period when the VAM classification system was being developed.

External References