1879-CC Capped Die

1879-CC Capped Die diagnostic: a Large CC was entered over a partially effaced Small CC mintmark, leaving the smaller letters visible inside the larger ones, with a die chip on the second C reinforcing the capped silhouette.

Carson City struck 756,000 Morgan dollars in 1879, the second year of George T. Morgan's design after the 1878 launch. Carson City had been hand-punching its 1878 reverse dies with a small CC mintmark; for 1879 the Mint adopted a larger CC punch. A working die already prepared in late 1878 with the old small CC was salvaged for the new year rather than discarded: the small punch was partially effaced and the larger CC was entered over it. The result is catalogued by the Van Allen and Mallis attribution system as VAM-3, the "Capped CC," and listed on the Top 100 Morgan VAM register. Traces of the smaller original CC remain visible inside and beneath the larger letters, and a die chip on the second C reinforces the capped silhouette. The other 1879-CC die marriage, the "Clear CC," shows a single sharp mintmark and is the more available of the two.

Authenticating the variety rests on the mintmark itself. Under modest magnification, the smaller original CC is visible inside or beneath the larger CC, and the chip-thickened crown on the second C is the giveaway. The repunching is integral to the working die, so it reproduces on every coin struck from that die and survives heavy circulation wear that erases finer field detail. PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, both attribute the VAM-3 designation on encapsulated examples, so a certified slab is the safer acquisition path. Counterfeit Carson City Morgan dollars exist and 1879-CC is a known target: verify weight at 26.73 grams, diameter at 38.1 millimeters, and a clean reeded edge before paying any premium.

Survival is broader than the 756,000 mintage suggests because the General Services Administration sales of 1972 through 1980 released bagged Treasury-vault Carson City dollars, including 1879-CC pieces, to the public. The Capped CC nonetheless remains scarce in higher grades; Mint State VAM-3 examples carry meaningful premiums over the standard Clear CC and reach the five-figure auction tier at MS65 and finer. A circulated Very Fine to Extremely Fine example is the natural acquisition tier for a date-and-mintmark Morgan collector, while VAM specialists chase the same variety in About Uncirculated and above. For deeper context on the design and the Carson City output across the program, see the Morgan Dollar series history.