1894-O VAM-2

Description

Among the earliest Morgan Dollar varieties ever cataloged, the 1894-O VAM-2 was discovered by George Mallis himself in June 1965 — one of the two men whose collaborative research created the entire VAM classification system that would eventually catalog thousands of Morgan and Peace Dollar die varieties. Designated 2 III2 1 with reverse die C3b (O Tilted Right) and catalog reference (181), this variety's defining feature is a New Orleans O mintmark tilted to the right on the reverse below the wreath. Mintmark tilt occurred because each letter punch was individually hand-applied to the working die, and angular alignment depended entirely on the engraver's hand. Even a few degrees of clockwise rotation produced a visibly tilted O that distinguishes this die from all others. The 1894-O Morgan Dollar was struck at the New Orleans Mint, which operated from 1838 to 1909 and produced coins prized for their Southern provenance. George T. Morgan's 90% silver dollar, 38.1mm in diameter, was in its seventeenth year of production. Examine the O mintmark below the wreath for its rightward tilt to confirm this historically significant variety.

External References