I ran across a term I didn't know, VAM. I now know it relates to the different die variations. Where do you go for a good reference on-line for the different VAM numbers? I see the VAM indicator is usually followed by a number, for example, I've seen a Morgan listed as a VAM 164. REV VAM 164, I'm assuming that it means the variation is on the reverse. The one below is labeled as B2c REV VAM 164. What might at indicate? Thanks Tim
A VAM is a Peace, or Morgan silver dollar die variety that has been identified in a book called The Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan and Peace Dollars by Leroy C. Van Allen and A. George Mallis. The term VAM comes from the first initials of Van Allen's and Mallis' last names. These two researchers noticed differences between coins produced in the same year and at the same mint. They began to photograph and catalog these differences to identify the different die varieties in the Morgan and Peace silver dollar series. As far as an online source, VAM world 2.0 wiki is a good online source of info. http://ec2-13-58-222-16.us-east-2.compute.amazonaws.com/wiki/Home that one you'll find as 1878-P VAM-164, the B2c is just the reverse die ID for the broken R in Trust that looks like "Tiust" All identifiers on the coin must match obverse, and reverse really for positive identification or you might just have half of the VAM and mix it up with other varieties. since the VAM is for a specific die pair with it's own characteristics.
