1892-CC VAM-8A

Description

Discovered in September 2006 by Michael Ash, the 1892-CC VAM-8A Morgan Dollar carries the classification III2 5 · C3a (Far Date, Clashed Obverse n) with die pairing number 177. The obverse (III2 5) exhibits a clashed die with a faint partial incuse letter "n" — transferred from the word "In" on the reverse — visible next to Liberty's neck, a telltale remnant from an event where the obverse and reverse dies struck each other without a planchet between them. The letter transfer is incuse (recessed into the die face, appearing raised on the struck coin) because it represents the mirror image of the reverse design element impressed into the obverse die surface during the empty-chamber impact. Additionally, the base of the 2 in the date shows a filled condition, likely from die wear or debris accumulation. The DPIS rating of RE3/C5 provides a standardized assessment of rarity and eye appeal within the VAM community's grading framework. The coin is known with both single and double clash states, meaning some specimens show evidence of only one die-to-die contact event while others display overlapping transferred images from two separate clashes at slightly different orientations — the double-clashed specimens being the scarcer variant. The CC mintmark is positioned slightly left of center, a hand-placement variation unique to this reverse die from the Carson City Mint. George T. Morgan's design was struck in 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter at the Carson City Mint in Nevada, one of the most romanticized mint facilities in American numismatics. The 1892-CC had a mintage of approximately 1.35 million pieces, making it a lower-mintage issue from Carson City's final years of Morgan Dollar production before the mint ceased coinage operations in 1893. The "Far Date" positioning places the date further from the rim than standard placement, providing an additional diagnostic alongside the clashed obverse for confident variety attribution.

External References