Ok everyone, the newbe thinks he's got a good one. Here is an 1887 Morgan. The pictures I'm posting show, at least to me, a distinct line on both sides of the coin. It runs along the stars to the left down to the date, and on the back from first 'L' in DOLLAR, through the Star and continues through AMERICA. Have tried to find info in VamWorld but with no luck yet. So let me know, please.
VAM just means what dies were used to strike it, for example, a small die chip could be used to figure out it's VAM. A VAM is not a specific thing on a coin, it just means which dies struck the coin. Anyways, Yours has a die crack, a very common kind to find on morgan dollars.
Close grasshopper, but not quite! Each VAM represents a particular die state, not the die used. A die can have multiple die states. @bear32211, trying to find a VAM listing that mentions those die cracks would be an exercise in futility. As a rule, cracks do not warrant attribution unless they are severe like the 1888-O "Scarface". It would be better for you to search for a letter transfer (possibly the "n" or an "st") from the die clash on your coin or possible doubling of the date. I can't be 100% sure about the doubling because your photo is blurry. Chris
Great information. Any ideas on a good camera so I can get close up shots ? The more I have read I feel it's a die crack, I'm learning from all of you thanks.
Yes, those are die cracks running through "STATES" on the reverse and the stars on the obverse. They are very common because it takes 130+ tons of pressure to strike these big silver dollars. I once had an 1899-O with a die crack along the entire perimeter of the reverse. Chris
Thanks cpm9ball, you guys have me checking every coin I have now. Boy did I make a big mistake not checking items I have been receiving in the past. DUH !
Some of the VAMpires want to collect every possible variety, but you can easily go broke (or crazy) since there are about 3,000 varieties of Morgan dollars. Other collectors are only interested in the Top 100, Hot 50, Hit List 40, etc. since these are the ones attributed by all of the major grading services. ANACS is the only service that will attribute all of the VAM's. Chris
Thanks for the info Chris, I always just thought that you could have Early Stage VAM-11 and Late Stage VAM-11 for example. I never knew that it was like that. Anyways, Thanks for letting me know, I'm pretty happy to know.
Like I said, you can go crazy. There are also EDS, MDS & LDS listings for VAM's. It depends on how the die progresses as it is used. Chris
If you're going to get a camera, the key would be getting a good macro lens to go with it. Personally, I use the camera for full coin shots and a traditional stereomicroscope for close-ups. Traditional scopes can be pretty expensive, but when I bought mine, the USB scopes were nothing but junk. Now, it's my understanding that the USB scopes have improved quite a bit, but I don't have any information on them. Chris
These cracks are considered minor and are not the determining feature of any given VAM for 1887. The VAM number will probably be determined by date position (normal), repunching, and doubling (ear or reverse legends). Dinolite USB microscopes are good for pictures of this stuff. I don't use one, however. Rather, I use a traditional stereoscope for inspection and then point the lens of a point-and-shoot camera through the eyepiece. I have taken tens of thousands of photos this way. My DSLR setup is used for full-coin shots.
