I have been unable to find the VAM for this coin on VAMWorld. Does anyone know the VAM number for this VAM?
I'm going to tag along with this post and add my question. Do all Morgan dollars have a VAM? I ask because I'm more familiar with IHC's and I know not all of them have a Snow variety.
The VAM tells you which die minted the coin. If a particular die has not been listed then it doesn't have a VAM number. It may be possible this coin has not been listed in VAMWorld.
All Morgan and Peace dollars are VAM's. Typically, VAM-1 is a normal die pair. I believe that John aka @messydesk can help you. He has a service to attribute all VAM's. ~ Chris
I looks like your coin is a D2 reverse. If you can confirm that you can used this die crack guide. http://ec2-13-58-222-16.us-east-2.compute.amazonaws.com/wiki/1921-P_D2_Die_Crack_Break_Guide
I've already tried using that guide and I still couldn't find it. It is similar to a couple of them but there is no identical match.
looks like there is a dot on the tip of the eagles right wing you can try using the dot guide. it is for both reverses (16 berry or 17) but might get you closer
Thanks for answering my VAM question. Snow varieties are only IHC coins that have some deviations caused when the the working dies were created. Lots of RPD's and mispositioned dates. I think such features as die cracks and die clashes were NOT included by Snow. Those are problems caused during the striking process.
To answer a few questions at once, all Morgans will have a VAM number, although some will have the number that means "normal dies." The coin pictured has some fine cracks that aren't shown on the 1921 D2 reverse, but that doesn't mean it's not listed in the VAM listings. The crack guides are maintained by assorted people and may not be completely up to date. I would have to see this coin to attribute it, as it is likely attributable by the "scribbling scratches", for which there is a guide on VAMWorld. All VAMs listed on VAMWorld have to first be added to the VAM catalog by Leroy Van Allen.
With the exception that Snow does not attempt to catalog every die, only those with interesting-enough varieties.
Yes. Die cracks alone don't get cataloged in the VAM listings, although they can be used as fingerprints to confirm a match with a cataloged variety. Heavier die breaks do get their own listing, usually as a die stage of an existing listing.
How much would it cost to have a dollar coin attributed by Varslab? Is the holder sealed shut like the holders by NGC or PCGS or do they easily come apart?
$6 a coin plus shipping, handling, and insurance. Submission forms are at my website (http://varslab.com/vssub.pdf). The holder is not sealed shut. The photo on the label is of the coin in the holder, so that acts as a safeguard against the coin being switched.
Approximately how much would the postage and handing cost to send in 5 coins to be certified? About $8 each way sending in the coins and coming back? If there is no printer to print out the forms can the forms still be used if they are hand-written?