1903-O VAM-6

Description

Discovered by Martin Field in August 1979, the 1903-O VAM-6 is classified as High O on this New Orleans Mint Morgan Dollar. The die pair is designated 6 III2 1 - C4d, plate (181). The reverse (C4d) shows the mint mark set high, centered, and upright — the O sits above its standard position while maintaining vertical alignment, distinguishing it from varieties where a high mint mark is also tilted. The centered, upright orientation suggests a clean single punch at an elevated position rather than the angled placements characterizing other mint mark varieties. Importantly, this listing was duplicated with the introduction of the 1903-O VAM-16 — collectors should be aware of this overlap when attributing specimens, as both entries may describe the same die characteristics. The 1903-O holds a special place in Morgan Dollar collecting as the final New Orleans Mint issue in the series, with a mintage of 4.45 million that has proven scarce in higher grades. Field's early contributions helped systematize mint mark position documentation. Silver composition.

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