I found another coin that I think has to be a major die clash and CC slanted VAM, but I don't know the VAM, grade or value. What do you think and what should I offer? Here's a link to a huge photo. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kostynracing/4900169306/sizes/o/in/photostream/ THANKS (as always) Ben
There are no top 100 1883-CC vams so regardless of what Vam it is I don't believe it will add much value. The images are not good enough to see the key details need to ascertain exactly which one it is at least based on what I can see. There are a lot of artifacts in the image that may or may not be marks on the coin so the grading would be a complete guess but I would go with an MS64PL....it looks to have PL qualities and some frost on the divices which will make it even harder to grade from these images. I don't know what the current PCGS or graysheet ask is for a 1883-CC in MS64 PL but that would be a rough starting point for me if I was trying to value this coin. Good Luck!
I tried to find a matching die clash on the front of the neck like yours has, but couldn't match it up on http://www.vamworld.com/1883-CC+VAMs perhaps you can use your magnifier on the date and mint mark especially and see if you can find a match. The date and mint mark is so small, even with the large photo you have, it almost has to be under a strong magnifier or microscope. Good luck. Jim
Ben, You should be aware that the only die clashes that would warrant the assignment of a VAM would be letter transfers. The clash you see on Liberty's neck is from the leading edge of the eagle's right wing just below the "n" of IGWT, and it is very common The most likelly letter transfer if there is one (and I don't see it) is the remnants of an inverted "n" just below the neck clash on the obverse. Usually, you will only see a very small part of the tip of one of the legs of the "n". The 1883-CC has a fairly short list of VAM's, so you should be checking it against the list at VAMWorld. Chris
Chris, I did check the VAMWorld list and didn't find anything that matched. I'll play with the photos in Photoshop and see if I can locate any of the clash marks. That's one great thing about Photoshop. You can overlay the reverse and see where the marks should be. I just started VAM hunting and I just need to make sure I'm looking for the right things. You were 100% correct on the 7/8TF being a VAM-38. I bought 1 in MS-61 and 1 in MS-62. I love the offset on the LIBERTY. It's huge! I'll let you know if I buy this one. It's not at the top of my list for coins, and I've spent toooooo much this month. Thanks to everyone! Ben
Ben, There is a tool made by Terry Forfa that is specifically designed to help VAM collectors see how the dies line up. It is made of acrylic and has the obverse and revese designs etched into separate halves and these halves are connected in the center so that you can rotate one against the other to view how a clash would look on both sides. It's a great tool as shown in the link I've added. Terry's e-mail address is also listed if you want to contact him. http://www.vamworld.com/clashed+dies Chris
