1898-O VAM-10

Description

Discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974, the 1898-O VAM-10 Morgan Dollar carries the classification III2 5 – C3d (Near Date, Doubled Second 8, O Set High and Tilted Far Right) with die pairing number 181. The obverse (III2 5) displays a near date position — though not as close to the denticles as VAMs 6, 7, or 8 in the same date’s family — with the second 8 doubled slightly at the top left outside of the upper loop and top inside of the lower loop, a subtle hub displacement artifact that requires careful magnified examination to distinguish from die wear effects. The reverse (C3d) features a medium O mintmark set high and tilted very far to the right, an extreme mintmark orientation that resulted from the hand-punching process at the New Orleans Mint where each working die received its O mintmark individually, creating measurable variation in placement and angle across the die population. The far-right tilt on this variety exceeds typical mintmark deviation, making it one of the more visually distinctive mintmark positions within the 1898-O die marriage catalog. George T. Morgan’s design was struck at the New Orleans Mint in 90% silver at 26.73 grams with a 38.1 mm diameter and a reeded edge. The 1898-O had a mintage of approximately 4.44 million pieces. The three-component designation — near date, doubled second digit, and extreme mintmark tilt — provides collectors with three independent verification points for confident attribution: first confirming the near date position relative to other 1898-O VAMs, then locating the doubling on the second 8, and finally verifying the far-right tilt of the reverse mintmark.

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