I just picked up this 1887 Morgan because I noticed several anomalies and was hoping the experts could help me out. There is a "spike" at the top of the eagle wing, a "spike" at her throat, some doubling between her chin and lower lip, a line connecting the word UNITED, and a raised "triangle" at the wreath. Is this an attributed VAM? Also, is it common for NGC to miss these anomalies and give it a straight grade without a VAM attribution? This one is graded by NGC as a 64 with no mention of variety.
All of the marks you noted are from die clashes, and these marks are some of the most common which, in and of themselves, do not warrant attribution. The only VAM's that NGC will attribute besides the 1878's are the Top 100, Hot 50 and Hit List 40. If your coin does not fall into one of the last three groups, then NGC will not attribute it. Since you have the coin in hand, it would be easier for you to go to the VAMWorld listings and find it yourself. Chris
Upon 1st glance, it appears to be an alligator eye.... which is a top 100 coin.... dont get too excited though, its not rare at all, i run across these pretty regularly... which makes me believe this is one of the most common top 100 morgan vams out there
Thank you all for the info. I've looked briefly at the VAM WORLD link and I'm not sure how to use it properly. Do I have to meet all of the markings to be attributed as a certain VAM? Because I can find that my coin has one or two required, but can't make out the third marking as listed under that specific VAM.
Does one win the lottery with just one or two numbers? This isn't horseshoes or hand grenades. Seriously though, take some time looking through the site; there is a lot of good info on how to attribute, etc. Yes, it can be a bit tedious, but if this area interests you, it will be time well spent.
