I looked at the pictures and it looks authentic to me. The die chip in the lower part of the 2 is a common phenomenon on Morgans of 1882, 1892 and 1902. Probably a late die state VAM 1, which the VAM book indicates can come with that chip. The metal flow frequently knocks out that part of the die. A similar phenomenon occurs with the letter G in 'God' on the reverse. A die chip often forms at the upper opening of the letter. John Baumgart SSDC Internet Regional Coordinator
Thanks John for clearing that up To be honest - I am amazed. I never would have believed that it was not an altered coin.
Thanks for ALL of the input I could not be happier as to confirming through many different sources now that this is indeed a die chip and not an alteration. Although I am told that there would not be a premium for this, who cares? I would conservatively put the coin at an MS64 and so long as it carries it normal value, I am pleased. I would like to take the time to thank all of you who replied to this post as sharing knowledge and experiences like this will only serve to make us wiser. Thanks again to all of you. Keith
Similar Die Chip on 1902-S Morgan?? Hello! This is the first time I've ever posted a message on any sort of forum, but this thread (which I realize is quite old!) caught my attention. I have a 1902-s Morgan that looks to me to be fairly high grade uncirculated. There is absolutely nothing that I can detect on the coin that would indicate that alterations have been made or that the coin has been worked on in any way EXCEPT for the "2" in the date. It looks strikingly similar (to me) when compared to the 1892-cc pictured in this thread. Any thoughts? Would anybody conclude that this is a mint error? Altered coin? If altered, why in the world would anyone do this? Thanks! MichaelP
Howdy MichaelP - Welcome to the Forum !! It certainly looks very similar to the coin orignally posted about in this thread. I would suggest that you contact these folks for a confirmation - VAMSlab
Hello and welcome! You brought an old thread back to life. Looks like a 1902-S VAM 1. The VAM 1 is considered the "normal die" pair for the 1902-S. From the VAM Book... "some specimens show base of 2 filled in". Your coin seems to match a photo in the book for this variety.
