I picked this one out for some spectacular die cracks, but noticed something even more striking when examining Liberty's mouth under magnification. It's not clear from the phone camera pics, but I'll add cloesups:
I thought it would be easy to find too, but so far have struck out. Sometimes, the defining trait of a VAM is one of the less spectacular or striking features (IMO).
George, I have a 1884 CC morgan with almost the same lip thing going on. This is what I was told by @cpm9ball . The upper lip is part of the clash, too. It's from the last bunch of leaves on the left edge of the righthand wreath. I used to own numerous Morgans with that clash. ~ Chris
This area of the coin is not often used to denote a VAM. It says this in the Attribution 101 of the VAMWorld website. About 3/4 the way down the page. http://ec2-13-58-222-16.us-east-2.c...101#Knowing_Your_Way_Around_the_Morgan_Dollar
I didn't mean that the lip area was associated with a VAM. It is a totally separate clash. I was referring to the Date with the possibly doubled 19.....as being associated with the VAM I linked to.
Maybe. I'm seeing some of the same indicators. Like the clash between "In" and "god": Also, the clashed letter (listed on 3a as a clashed "t" but I'm not seeing that) peeking out from under Liberty's hair vee: But I'm not seeing the prominent die scratch across the eagle's right (viewer's left) wing. Am I just missing it? And there are some prominent clashes I _am_ seeing that aren't apparent on the samples for VAM3a. For example, There is also clash inside the wreath on the reverse (right side): And another clash behind the Phrygian cap that also seems to show wreath leaves:
I see some similarity on the date placement, but none of the die clash or die cracks. I'm wondering if this could be a very late stage die of 3a (after additional use caused additional clashes and the die started to fail), but am unsure why the die line across the eagle doesn't show. If anything, shouldn't it be more pronounced rather than less?
Look to the die markers, die scratches, polishing lines etc. @messydesk has nailed this one down Already. In this VAM I looked at what I saw doubled on the date. One of the markers I used was the die chip in the 8. As far as I saw with other VAM's was either no die chip on the 8, or it was on the other side.
That was the short response. Longer response: Step 1: Start with the date. Repunching? Yes, on the 1 (under flag) and on the 7 (strong at top). Since it was made betwen 1884 and 1904, the position matters as well -- near date. Step 2: Scan listings for near date, doubled 1 and 7. VAM 3 comes up. Step 3: Note that there is a VAM 3A that indicates a clash. Is this clash on your coin? Yes. You have VAM 3A (the two clash version). Slightly more brute force method: Step 1: Notice the clashed 't' on your coin. Step 2: Go to "Clashed Die Letter Transfer" link. Pages like this, while usually helpful, are not made with any standard template, so they can be hard to follow and/or disorganized. They also will not contain all the pictures you'll need. Step 3: Go to each and every clash that is a near date to see if you have a match for the rest of the coin. Fortunately, your search ends with the first page you visit, since VAM 3A is at the top, assuming you visit this page despite the double clash not being shown.
I agree that 3a seems like the best candidate, but I'm curious why the die scratch is missing from the reverse. Could the obverse have been paired with a different reverse at some point?