VAMWorld 2.0

Permit me to state up front that "die progressions" involve a lot of assumptions and I really do not pay much attention to them. Here are a few facts and I leave it to you and other dedicated specialists to take things from there. Dodge received 10 pairs on the 16th. His next batch of 15 arrived on ...

The Ajax toggle press in use on the 17th produced the same pressure regardless of how it was activated -- manually or by power belt. (This was an immense advantage of Peale's 1836 design.) It would be wasteful and pointless to take the time to adjust the spacing wedge - which had to be tested every ...

RE: "So Dodge authorized that the die pair of Vam 58 were to be polished up and the first five were sent to Linderman. The progression for this run is as follow: Vam 58, Vam 56 and finally Vam 62. Here is one of the other 5 ( I believe) that was sent to Director Linderman." This might be true, but t...

OK. Simple answer w/o footnotes. Dies received late April 16. First coins struck afternoon of April 17. Ten (approx) for distribution, then rest run at power until reverse die broke just short of 1,000 pieces. Only coins from this die pair, called VAM-60, were made the first day. No other coins shar...

Thanks! Doing a bit of false "attribution" squishing and needed some expert details.

Thanks all. That is what I understood, but wanted to be sure my info was accurate. BTW -- There were no "interns" etc. at the SF Mint doing die hardening. Responsibility for poor die life was quickly fixed on Thomas Scott, an old hand at San Francisco who hardened dies, and was considered not up to ...

Do any VAMS besides 1878-S VAM 60 share the identical reverse die?

At the SF Mint only 2 reverse and 7 obverse dies were usable out of 10 of each received on the 16th.

Thanks!

Your research should have taken you back to this thread ATS:

https://forums.collectors.com/discussio ... gan-dollar

Hint: Work in chronological order.

Here's a good test of critical thinking abilities. List the facts; list the assertions; list the falsehoods; list the Santa Claus list.

See how well you do.

https://forums.collectors.com/discussio ... gan-dollar

Longstrider wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 11, 2022 7:36 pm

I find the discussion and back and forth on these coins very interesting. Thanks.

The "up and down" version is interesting, too.

The final step in die manufacture was a dip in acid to remove "fire scale" from final hardening and tempering. Working dies were not normally polished before first use unless there was a lingering defect.

Hi Roger… What do you grade this coin? The condition might be AU or Unc depending on wear that is difficult to show in a photo. It's numerical "grade" depends entirely on how the surfaces compare to the same coin without scrapes, nicks or other marks. The photos suggest Unc-62 or 63 maximum. 1921 d...

Here, again, we see the ambiguities that arise from mixing undefined opinion with surface condition that can be empirically measured. The present surface condition, as compared to when the piece was struck, can be objectively measured. This is the only valid criteria for empirical grading. Likewise,...

Photos suggest AU condition (a real AU not the TPG versions)

No. It's circulated. A nice AU....But I'm a very tough grader.

Kentucky coal mine?

If you establish lines connecting two points internal to the portrait (or eagle), then extend these, you will have stable references for everything. This approach eliminates all variables in relative position and is very simple to use. It is accurate enough to make repeatable measurements between re...

Shipping soft dies was done at San Francisco and sometimes for Carson (after the got a new Ajax press). The purpose was to facilitate cutting of the dies to fit old presses in use at those mints.

Only Philadelphia's engraving Dept. had punches for mintmarks letters, etc.

RE: "...which San Francisco Dies were used for the 82 O/S VAM 3, 4 & 5?" All O/S (or S/O) mintmark dies were prepared at Philadelphia -- where all dies were made. It would have been as much trouble to soften, then fill and overstrike, then harden and temper an old die as to simply put the correct mi...