1892-O VAM-21

Description

Discovered in October 2014 by John Coxe, the 1892-O VAM-21 is primarily identified by its low date — the numerals are set closer to the rim than the normal position while maintaining standard lateral alignment. A secondary diagnostic feature shows very slight doubling at the right inside of Liberty's ear, providing an additional confirmation point for attribution. The obverse is classified as Type III2 die 17, paired with a C3c reverse on this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar. The low date position results from the depth at which the date punches were driven into the working die — when set closer to the rim than the reference standard, the resulting coins show the date shifted downward in the field. The subtle ear doubling, visible only under magnification, indicates a minor hub misalignment that created a faint secondary impression within the ear cavity. John Coxe's 2014 discovery came decades after the initial VAM research period, demonstrating that careful examination of common dates continues to reveal previously undocumented die pairings. The 1892-O Morgan Dollar was produced at the New Orleans Mint during the final decade of original Morgan Dollar production — the series would end in 1904 before the famous one-year 1921 resumption — and positional date varieties from the later production years help document die shop practices during the series' concluding era.

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