Morgan Varieties from The Leroy Van Allen Collection


Heritage will be offering a spectacular variety of coins from the collection of Leroy Van Allen at the April 16-18
CSNS Signature Auction in Rosemont, IL. The selection from Van Allen’s personal collection of Morgan & Peace dollar varieties, plus errors, represents, “Some of the rarest, most historic Morgan silver dollars known and should be considered national treasures,” according to silver dollar specialist Michael S. Fey.
Perhaps the most unusual offering from the Van Allen collection is a certified “Presentation Piece,” one of the first twelve Morgan dollars struck on March 11, 1878 (VAM-9), accompanied by a handwritten certification by Walter Breen. Also included are spectacular examples of some of the best known Morgan varieties, including the “Hot Lips” 1888-O Doubled Die Obverse dollar in DMPL, an uncirculated 1888-O “Scarface” in late die state, and many other Top 100 Morgan dollar varieties.
As is quickly learned by even novice collectors, VAM is the acronym for Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis, who were first to comprehensively catalog Morgan and Peace Dollar varieties, assigning VAM numbers to each die pair.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Selections from The Leroy Van Allen collection include:
- 1878 8TF $1 VAM-14.7 “Flake on Ear” MS62 Prooflike PCGS.
- 1878 8TF $1 VAM-9 Presentation Piece MS62 Deep Mirror Prooflike ANACS.
- 1880 $1 8/7 VAM-6 “Spikes” MS64 PCGS.
- 1880 $1 8/7 VAM-7 “Crossbar” AU50 PCGS.
- 1884 $1 VAM-4 “Small Dot” MS64 PCGS.
- 1888-O $1 VAM-1B “Scarface” Die Break Obverse MS62 PCGS.
- 1888-O $1 VAM-4 “Hot Lips” Doubled Die Obverse AU55 PCGS.
- 1888-O $1 VAM-4 “Hot Lips” Doubled Die Obverse MS60 Deep Mirror Prooflike PCGS.
- 1891-CC $1–Partial Collar Strike–MS64 PCGS.
- 1903-S $1 VAM-2 Micro S XF40 PCGS.
- 1922 $1 VAM-2A “Earring” MS64 PCGS.
This auction is open for bidding now at www.HA.com/Coins.
Related Articles
- Gold Tops Bowers and Merena Lots
- Lord Baltimore’s Morgan Dollar Set
- Long Beach Auction Features Rare Morgan
- 1969-S Doubled die obv. Lincoln Cent in Regional Auction
- The Amazing Eliasberg 1889-CC Dollar, MS68
- Bowers and Merena to Auction Leading PCGS Registry Set of Lincoln Cents in August
- Bowers and Merena to Auction Finest Known 1932-D Washington Quarter and Fine Selection of Buffalo Nickels April 15, 2008
- A Magnificent 1916 Doubled Die Nickel
- Bowers and Merena Realizes More Than $6.2 million At Official Auction of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention
- Bowers and Merena to Present More than 900 Coin Rarities in Beverly Hills on September 13
- All-Time Finest Lincoln Cent Set in Houston Auction
- DLRC Auction Features Jefferson Nickels
- Those Magical CC Morgans
- Heritage’s September Long Beach Signature Auctions Soar Past $25 Million; $27 Million Expected
- BOWERS AND MERENA REALIZES NEARLY $6 MILLION IN APRIL 2008 CHICAGO RARITIES SALE
- Bowers and Merena Bringing More Than 3,000 Lots to Baltimore
- Pre-ANA Auctions Preview, Part II of III: Half Dollars
- Red Lincolns are Hotter than Gold! - David Lawrence’s Internet Auction Results
- Over 100 Overton Varieties in the Bayside New York Collection
- TELETRADE To Auction Collection Of PCGS “Green Holder” Coins Today, June 1st 2008
About the Author
Heritage Auction Galleries is the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Our 329,383 members are a testament to our reputation for professional business practices and unprecedented knowledge in the field of collectibles. Our mission is to provide the Internet's most indispensable trading platform and source of information for serious collectors, investors and dealers.
























