These varieties not only are popular and valuable but often required for complete set registries of top holdering companies: 1879-CC Capped Die, 1879-S Reverse of 1878, 1880/79-O, 1880/9-S, 1882-O/S Strong, 1882-O/S Weak, and 1887/6 and 1887/6-O.
This article provides key diagnostics so you can identify these valuable coins.
1879-CC Capped Die
The capped die variety happened when the Mint decided to change the small CC into the larger mintmark. An employee tried to tool away the smaller CC and replace it with the larger one. He didn’t do a very good job.
Hobbyists tend to prefer the clear mintmark to the distorted one. The process of effacing the die, or die cap, gave the variety its nickname. As for value, both are rare and desirable through almost uncirculated grades, with the clear mintmark bringing $4,500 in AU55, about $1,000 higher than the variety. But in uncirculated grades, the variety is more valuable, with an MS63 Capped CC commanding a retail price of $10,000 and the clear mintmark about $500 less.
1879-S Rev. of 78
While the 1879-S is a relatively common coin, the reverse of 78 is a rare and coveted variety with a mere 8,900 thought to have survived out of a mintage of 9,110,000. The production that year began with the 1878 reverse dies but were halted early in the process for the 79 variety. The 1878 reverse dies feature a flat-breasted eagle and parallel top arrow feathers whereas the regular reverse has a rounded breast and larger top feature at a slant.
The new “Reverse of 1879” dies were quickly put into production, making the Reverse of 1878 variety a notable and desirable key date for collectors.
As you might expect, the 78 reverse commands much higher values across conditions with an MS63 worth $1,600 while the regular mintmark coin goes for $100.
1880/79-O
The 1880/79-O Morgan dollar variety resulted from the New Orleans Mint reusing an older, dated die from 1879 by re-engraving it with the new 1880 date. The mint worker did not fully erase the older date, so faint traces of the “79” are visible beneath the “80.” (Note: The same happened at the San Francisco Mint with an even weaker trace of the overdate–so weak that we exclude it from this article.)
Both practices of repurposing older dies was a way to conserve resources.
Here is the 1880/79-O overdate, compliments PCGS CoinFacts:
Because the remnant of the numbers 79 are usually faint, you may need a coin microscope to identify this variety. As for value, a regular 1880-O at MS63 retails for $90 whereas the 1880/79 goes for $800. That makes it very desirable.
1880/9-S
There are many VAM varieties (catalog of die markers) in 1880 Morgans, including 1880 VAM 6 8/7, 1880 VAM 7 8/7 Crossbar, 1880 VAM 8 8/7 Ears, 1880 VAM 9 8/7 Stem and 1880 VAM 11 Checkmark. We’ll leave those for another date. In this article we focus on the 1880/9-S because these are available and popular but may require a coin microscope to see on worn coins.
The 1880/9-S features the last digit of the date partially struck over the digit “9.” Here’s a PCGS CoinFacts photo showing remnants of the “9” in the overdate:
This variety is attractive because so many 1880-S Morgans were strongly struck and available in high mint state grades. The number of 1880/9-S Morgan dollars is not known out of a total 8,900,000.
An 1880-S at MS63 retails for $90 whereas the overdate goes for $160 at this writing.
1882-O/S Strong, 1882-O/S Weak
In 1882, the New Orleans Mint received a shipment of leftover reverse dies from the San Francisco Mint. A employee polished and overpunched an O on the S, creating the variety. The facility had three different reverse dies re-purposed for the New Orleans mint. Some overpunching was better than others, creating strong and weak versions.
The 1880-O had a modest mintage of 6,090,000. Many were melted in 1918 according to the Pittman Act and a mere 25,000 of the variety are said to have survived making them valuable. In MS63, a strong version retails for $550 and the weak version, $375. A regular 1880-O goes for $110 in that grade.
1887/6 and 1887/6-O
The 1887/6 and 1887/6-O varieties occurred because a U.S. Mint employee reused an existing 1886-dated die for striking 1887 Morgan dollars, but failed to completely erase the original “6” before engraving the new “7,” leaving a faint “6” under the “7.”
These usually are faint and may require a coin microscope to detect.
These overdates were melted in huge numbers according to the Pittman act. A regular 1887 at MS63 retails for $90 and an 1887-O, $275. An 1887/6 retails for $1,000 and an 1887/6-O for $2,400. That price difference is a reason for the popularity of these varieties.
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