I need a little help from all you VAM guys out there. I was looking at an 1881-O Morgan that I had purchased on Saturday when I noticed this. There are some serious die clashes. On the obverse, just to the right of Liberty, there is an incused impression of the top of the wreath from the reverse. On the reverse, at the top of the wreath, there is an area of raised metal. Is this a recognized VAM? Sorry, I know that the pics aren't the best.
Clashed dies are very common on the Morgan series. Unique VAM designations are only assigned if a letter or number is transferred. There are several 81-O Morgans with clashed letters. You need to look in a few other places. Check near Liberty's neck. Sometimes the N or I or both (from IN) are transferred. Look in the hairvee (between the 1st and 2nd right star). You might see letters from the end of TRUST. Also look above the hairvee, in the hair. On the top of the obverse, near the wheat stalk, the mint mark or the DO from DOLLAR is sometimes transferred. Another spot is on the reverse over GOD. You may see the designer's initial M. There is a really helpful clash tool available from another VAM collector. The die images are on two pieces of plexiglass that can be rotated to show the position of possible clashed letters.
