VAMWorld 2.0

Wow! Did not know the "Colorado Counterfeiter" was branching out into Morgan dollars! He's getting better -- all the way up to 2nd grade art!

Will "messydesk" explain organic nicknames in his "Gentle Introduction to VAMs" during the NNP seminar? Can organic nicknames be recycled? used for fertilizer? made into ugly park benches? If they're organic do they have to come from certified nickname farms with free-range nicknames and nesting box...

Look on USpatterns.com or in the CURRENT edition of Judd.

Only the Press Room Foreman could remove and attempt to repair clashing damage.
The Press Operator was nto allowed to remove or insert (set-up) dies.

From the perspective of a non-VAM collector, the question Colwillys raises is fundamental to this hobby specialty. Van Allen-Mallis (VAM) varieties are an idiosyncratic identification of some – not all – die varieties on Morgan and Peace dollars. The various original and follow-on references accept ...

johnhenry9009 wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 18, 2023 10:21 pm

Looks like it was dipped once or twice, so I suggest a few seconds in acetone just to be safe.

Agreed. Clearly dipped in egg salad then nickel plated. The very rare "Poof Proof" variety, too!

Hmmmm....If it's "unknown" how do you "know" about it?

The coin was struck from defective dies. I leave it to the error and variety folks to decide how to label it. Central or portrait die collapse is not rare on DE and dollars - there's a lot of die mass to deal with during multiple strike-and-anneal cycles as the die is formed from a hub. The light, f...

Albannach wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 22, 2023 10:26 am

Interesting...

What are the odds of that?

Pretty good when cranking out millions of unwanted coins with minimal quality control and the Sec of Treasury pushing for even more coins....

Your coin appears to have been struck from one, possibly both, collapsed dies. The central portion was not properly hardened and tempered, and gradually depressed during use. The outer part of the die was harder and remained in its normal position. This is the most common variation seen on Peace dol...

RE: "...it seems to be on a few different vams."
Is it identical or similar?

Boll weevils don't have hymens.....!

"Cotton boll weevils" maybe ?

If the comment "The B and the Rays are similarly flattened. I'm gonna say 90% probability it's PMD (bottom of the bag)," and similar ones refer to these two photos --- Thu Mar 30 16-31-07.jpg Thu Mar 30 16-39-38.jpg --- then there is some misinformation floating about. The observed flattening toward...

Are folks merely searching for something to argue about? The owner stated what he thinks and why. Others have stated their opinions based upon a few photos. Rather than continue to irritate others, the owner should send the coin to a knowledgeable third party for an independent opinion. (The members...

The photo appears to show die distortion caused by local stress during manufacture. This is possibly an early strike from a new rev die before metal movement blurred the crystal boundary defect.

(It could also be a tuna salad on rye, with a pickle on the side.)

Rust on a Morgan dollar die is extremely unusual. They were made, shipped, used and condemned in a short time. The most likely mint for any rust was New Orleans.

How was this determined to be the result of "acid treatment" of a die?

Think of the USB 'scope this way: It will cost you 1 BU silver dollar.