1892-O VAM-2A

Description

Discovered in 2014 by Ray Castro, the 1892-O VAM-2A Morgan Dollar combines multiple die characteristics: doubled 92 in the date, a far date position, a high O mintmark, pitted letters in TRUST, and evidence of a collar clash. The doubled 92 shows secondary impressions on the final two date digits from hub displacement during die manufacture. The far date sits further right than normal positioning, while the high O mintmark rests above its standard location. Pitting in the letters of TRUST indicates corrosion or surface deterioration on the die face, transferring a rough texture to the struck coins. The collar clash occurred when the collar die — normally restraining the planchet's edge — contacted the working die improperly, leaving transfer marks. This variety shares the same die pair as 1892-O VAM-2, with the A suffix designating a later die state where the pitting and collar clash evidence developed after the parent VAM-2 was documented. The New Orleans Mint struck 2,744,000 Morgan Dollars in 1892, and Castro's 2014 discovery expanded the known die-state progression for this already cataloged die pair.

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