1899-O VAM-10

Description

Discovered by Leonard Hinckley in February 1974, the 1899 New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar VAM-10 is classified as III2 4 C3f (Slanted Date, High O Tilted Right) with die pair 188 and DPIS RH3/LH5. Struck in 90% silver, the obverse features a date slanting upward from left to right, with the digits positioned at an angle departing from the normal horizontal baseline. The O mint mark on the reverse sits higher than typical and tilts to the right, providing a secondary diagnostic independent of the obverse date position. An important die stage relationship links this variety to VAM-10B, as VAM-10 represents the early die state of a shared die. However, VAM-10 is not related to VAM-10A, which comes from a different die pair. The DPIS RH3/LH5 designation documents the die pair's reverse hub and left hub characteristics within the emission sequence. George T. Morgan's Liberty Head design on the 1899 New Orleans issue provides the obverse framework where the slanted date creates a visually accessible screening diagnostic. The tilted high O mint mark and slanted date together establish a two-sided identification on this late 19th-century New Orleans Morgan Dollar.

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