Some of my latest pickups. Pictures used with permission as they are not mine. The 1921 Morgan is a little difficult to see in the photos but it's great in hand. I'm not a VAM collector but this one really appealed to me. Maybe I should start a Top-100 Morgan VAM collection. Bet I'll put some bucks into that but I have other collections to finish first. I've gotta finish what I started before I start something new. This double struck cent has the date twice. The right strike is upside down as compared to the left strike but both dates are clearly visible.
Very nice, my 41B came back at MS-61. Order # Item # Date Mint Denom Grade Variety Superlative 428317 5232026 1921 $ 61 MORGAN VAM-41B TOP 100
I don't know how to definitively tell the difference between a saddle strike and a double strike, but I would guess this is the latter. In any case, it is seriously scarce to find one that is uniface on both strikes. At least, I haven't seen it very often.
If you ever decide to build a set of the Top 100, you'll probably want to get a copy of the Michael Fey/Jeff Oxman book, Top 100 Morgan Dollar Varieties: The VAM Keys. It is spiral-bound and is a handy size that will fit into your back pocket. Chris
I have a Morgan dollar. I was simply holding on to it because of the silver content. However, I notice a smudge or something on your Morgan; on the face. What is it?
If that 41A is the genuine deal without polishing lines (I don't even begin to trust NGC Morgan attributions), it's pretty significant. ANACS - where most VAMmers go for attribution- has 355 VAM-41B's and five 41A's, none above MS63. This is the first 41A I've ever seen outside the VAMworld detail page.
Here's some images of a 41B; I included two lighting angles to give a better idea of the extensive die polishing on the reverse. You should see only pitting on a 41A, none of this polishing. VAM-1E can be mistaken for 41A; 1E has a prominent scratch between arrow feathers and bow, which would show as an apparent "polishing line" in my detail pic (similar to the sharp line between the center serif of the "E" and "D") if it were present.
Looking at VAM World mine is a VAM41-A. The pitting is minor some areas but it's where it should be. No scratch as you describe for the 1-E, and I looked closely.
Excellent! You got a good 'un. Here's a 1E detail I cadged from the Heritage Archives - had to blow it up to 200% to be large enough for plain detail. The scratch is obvious; you wouldn't have missed it.
Yes I can. It would drive me crazy but if they're graded I'll buy them but to look for them myself, time and I'm always short of it thanks to my job.