1901-O VAM-32

Description

Discovered by Leroy Van Allen in June 1984, the 1901-O VAM-32 features a dramatically doubled profile on the obverse combined with a high O mintmark on the reverse — a die pairing cataloged as III2 9 - C3c (Doubled Profile, High O) under number 181. Liberty's profile is doubled along the entire contour including the forehead, nose, lips, and chin, making this one of the more visually striking VAM varieties for the 1901-O date. The reverse carries the New Orleans Mint O mintmark set noticeably high and tilted to the right, a positioning variation that resulted from the hand-placement of mintmark punches into working dies at the Philadelphia hub shop before dies were shipped to branch mints. The 1901-O Morgan Dollar had a mintage of 13,320,000 pieces at the New Orleans Mint, which operated from 1838 to 1909 as the southern branch of the United States Mint system. New Orleans mintmark positioning on Morgan Dollars is a rich area of VAM study, with high, low, tilted, and micro O variants documented across many dates. The combination of a full-profile doubling with a distinctive mintmark position makes VAM-32 a dual-diagnostic variety where both the obverse and reverse carry independently attributable characteristics.

External References