Need help with value on a 1882-O/S VAM 4 Morgan and a 1882-O/O VAM 7 Morgan!

Hey VAM Folks,

I picked up some nice Morgan Silver Dollars today which are VAM's and sure could use some help in determining their values!

The first one is an 1882-O/S VAM 4 in at least AU-58 and possibly MS-60 with plenty on Mint luster. It does have some fairly light nicks and scratches on both the Obverse and Reverse but no rim dings.

The second one is an 1882-O/O VAM 7 in a high EF grade with quite a bit of Mint luster left over. It has some very light scratches on both the Obverse and Reverse and has no rim dings.

Any help with the values of these tough to find VAM's would be appreciated!


Thanks...Frank

 

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Is your 1882-O O/S VAM 4 is EDS or LDS. The early die state is worth MUCH more.
The 1882-O O/O VAM 7 doesn't seem to have much of a premium in circulated grades.

Top 100 Value Guide Winter 2005
1882-O O/S VAM 4
LDS AU55 $75, AU58 $95, MS61 $185
EDS AU55 $2,000+
1882-O O/O VAM 7
XF45 $17

VAMview sale prices
1882-O O/S VAM 4
LDS AU55 two sold, both at $70
EDS VF35 sold for $3,500
1882-O O/O VAM 7
lowest grade sales were MS61; one at $118 and another $207.

 

nesvt,

Thanks again for the information! You are a wealth of information for us poor VAM dumb slobs! I apparently pay too much attention to my pennies, huh??!!!

As I have not reference books to go by or pictures of these VAM specimens, so can you tell me how to tell the difference between an LDS and EDS for these Varieties?


Thanks...Frank

 

In the VAM area, I have more questions than answers. I'm still learning about this stuff and it's hard to keep up to date.

Rob Joyce has some nice images comparing EDS and LDS versions of the 1882-O O/S VAM 4. Check out this link.

 

I have to wonder out loud here - how does it work out that there's less detail on the EDS than the LDS of the O/S? It would seem to me that what's being called the EDS cannot result in the LDS - you'd have to *add* metal to the die to get from one to the other - the only explanation that makes sense to me is more than one die pair.

 

SuperDave,

I was wondering that myself but think that I figured out why! As the Die gets worn and has to be ground and polished, the Mint workers probably grind and polish the area in and around the Mint Mark. Since the Primary and Secondary Mint Marks are incuse on the Die and the Secondary has to be more fragile than the Primary, the channel of the crossbar of the "S" apparently gets chipped off somewhat which widens the channel and thus a thicker crossbar.


Frank

 

I've wondered the same thing about the EDS and LDS designations. I remember someone telling me that the reverse die might have been re-used or stamped wrong and filled in. Stamped with an "S", the "S" was filled in, re-stamped with an "O". As the die gets used, the filled metal starts falling out. Later die states show more of the "S". I have no idea how much truth there is to this. I thought the dies were too hard to be using any kind of "filler".