1891-O VAM-14

Description

Discovered by Marc Serafine in September 2001 and revised in October 2011, this New Orleans Mint 1891 Morgan Dollar carries the VAM-14 (revised) designation with die pair III2 1 and reverse C3j. The obverse is a normal die with some diagonal polishing lines at the right of the top hair curl on Liberty's forehead serving as a die marker. The reverse exhibits slight doubling on the wreath at the top and left inside, along with doubling on the lower edge of the bottom arrow feather and shaft. The O mintmark is at normal height and upright. A short diagonal die scratch at the eagle's left wing bottom and leg provides a reverse die marker. Three gouges within the center of the O mintmark offer an additional diagnostic, likely from damage during the mintmark punching process at New Orleans. The doubled wreath and arrow feather details require careful examination under magnification, as the spread is subtle. New Orleans Morgan Dollars from 1891 represent the later years of operations at that facility, which closed permanently in 1909.

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