1901-O VAM-22

Description

Discovered by Martin Field in August 1979, VAM-22 documents a High O mintmark variety on the 1901 New Orleans Morgan Dollar, classified as III2 1 with the C3c reverse die showing a medium O set in a distinctly high position. Mintmark placement varieties are a cornerstone of VAM collecting for New Orleans Morgan Dollars, where the hand-punched O mintmark displays considerable variation in position, size, tilt, and even font style across different working dies. The C3c reverse designation indicates this specific die has the mintmark set noticeably above the standard position, a variation created when the engraver placed the mintmark punch higher than typical on this particular die. Research notes indicate that the sub-variety VAM-22A exhibits a slanted date and should properly be classified under the III2 6 obverse category, suggesting ongoing revision work within the VAM system. New Orleans struck approximately 13.32 million Morgan Dollars in 1901, just three years before the facility produced its last Morgan Dollars in 1904 and five years before closing permanently in 1909. Cataloged under the Van Allen-Mallis system, VAM-22 represents one of the many mintmark position varieties that make New Orleans Morgan Dollars among the most actively collected and studied issues in the entire series.

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