I just purchased a 1878-8TF from a very reputable dealer and I am having a difficult time seeing the "M" at the neck truncation...even with a loop. Am I missing something? Thanks.
What condition is the coin in? I doubt it might have worn off, but my suggestion would be to go to VAM World and compare your coin to the pictures they have for the 1878 8TF to make sure yours is genuine. Can you post a decent picture of your coin: obverse and reverse?
jp, you would not be able to see it, or in this case NOT see it, even if I took a close up. It is a MS63 that has been graded by NGC. I just spoke with the dealer and he said it is highly unlikely that it's fake. There is something there, but I cannot see it as an "M".
Ah, well you didn't mention it was graded by NGC. In that case, I would be very confident it's real. I'll have to take a look at my '78 8TF and see what the "M" looks like.
There are two different obverse hub variations for the 1878 8TF. The I1 has an M that looks like an M. The I2 obverse has an M that is a little messed-up looking and you wouldn't think it was an M unless someone told you. You have this obverse hub.
Thanks, you have allayed my fears...I've not heard of this hub variation...is one worth more than another? Is it akin to a VAM?
VAMs are cataloged at the die level, not the hub level. Since this hub was used to make several dies, several VAMs have the features of the I2 obverse hub.
