1890-CC Tailbar

The 1890-CC Tailbar is a famous die-marriage variety where a horizontal bar protrudes from below the eagle's tail feathers on the reverse, the result of a die-prep error during the Carson City production run. The variety is catalogued by the Van Allen-Mallis attribution system as VAM-4 and sits on the Top 100 Morgan VAM register as one of the most-collected branch-mint VAM varieties in the entire series. The bar appears as a raised die line that survives heavy circulation wear, making the variety identifiable even on lower-grade circulated examples. The variety belongs to the same 2,309,041-piece 1890-CC mintage.

Authentication of a Tailbar claim turns on the reverse below the eagle's tail. Under five to ten power magnification (and frequently visible to the naked eye on Mint State examples), a horizontal raised line extends downward from the tail feathers into the wreath. The line is integral to the reverse die and reproduces consistently on every coin struck from that die. PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC attribute the variety in their slabs. The Tailbar is one of the easier major Morgan varieties to confirm because the diagnostic is dramatic and unambiguous.

The 1890-CC Tailbar is a popular series Variety pickup and one of the most-collected Carson City VAMs alongside the 1879-CC Capped Die. Pricing trades at a substantial multiple of the standard 1890-CC across all Mint State grades, with the gap widest at MS64 and above where the variety's combined mintage scarcity and the strong VAM premium compound. Most certified examples grade MS62 to MS64; MS65 and above is condition-scarce. Certified slabs from PCGS or NGC with the VAM attribution noted on the holder are the standard purchase route at any meaningful price level, since variety counterfeits and misattributions both circulate in the raw market. The Van Allen-Mallis attribution system catalogues every documented Morgan die marriage, and the Top 100 Morgan VAM register identifies the most-collected varieties for specialist collectors. For the Carson City production context and the broader Top 100 Morgan VAM register, see the Morgan Dollar series history.