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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;huntsman53, post: 169370, member: 1242&quot;]Becky,</p><p><br /></p><p>The pictures that you provided show Counter-Die Clashes on one or more Morgan Silver Dollars and other than Die Cracks, Counter-Die Clashes are fairly common to the Morgan Dollar series and many are considered VAMs and given VAM numbers!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Die Clashes</b> occur when the Obverse and Reverse Dies slam into each other when there is not a coin Planchet for one reason or another in the collar during the minting of coins. Since the details on most Dies are incuse (inward or below the main surface of the Die), this leaves obtuse details (outward or above the main surface of the Die) on the opposite Die. Since these details from the opposite Die are obtuse, when they are transferred to a coin in the minting process, they can only be incuse!</p><p><br /></p><p>A <b>Counter-Die Clash</b> occurs much differently and has been the subject of many a study on why and how it actually happens. Counter-Die Clashes are the details from one Die which get transferred to an opposite Die through the coin planchets themselves. Some folks call this impact and others call this vibration transferrance. In other words, due to the over use and constant minting of coins with individual Dies, the details from one Die will sometimes transfer through the coin planchets to the opposite Die via impact or vibration. Since these details travel through the planchets via impact or vibration, they end up incuse on the opposite Die and therefore, obtuse on a coin when it is struck. (The coin planchets do not produce the Counter-Die Clash, they are only the conduit for the transfer of the details.) To help you and others to better understand this process, lay a solid 1/4 or 1/2 inch piece of steel upon another piece of solid 1/4 or 1/2 inch piece of steel, place both on a solid object such as an Blacksmith&#039;s anvil. Now take a strong punch and fairly heavy, short handled sledge hammer and hammer an indentation into the top piece of steel over a period of about 10 to 15 minutes (might take less). Now when you raise up the top piece of steel and look on the bottom of it, there will more than likely not be any damage or indication of the indentation protruding from the bottom of the top piece of steel. However, if you look at the bottom piece of steel, there will more than likely be a small indentation on it&#039;s top although you never touched this specific piece of steel with the punch.</p><p><br /></p><p>Believe me, I had a hard time learning to tell the difference between the two! Also, much of the time, the surfaces of a coin do not make it any easier. Sometimes, a transferred detail that is actually obtuse, looks as if it is incuse and vice versa!</p><p><br /></p><p>I hope that I have not confused you or anyone else with my explanation! I am sure that Mike Diamond or other Coin Experts, may be able to explain the above in a much simplier manner.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Frank[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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