VAMWorld 2.0

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.

"There's no such thing as an unopened roll of 1878 Morgan dollars. I agree that it looks fake. If you bought these recently, return them." Yes. If the OP will go to the PCGS forum there is a thread with photos of this series of counterfeits. That might provide additional information. The thread tit...

OK. Guess we all define "fun" differently.

But, it has no relationship to an authentic Morgan or Peace dollar....all the specifications are incorrect except diameter. Even the designs are cut differently and of much lower quality....

Per Ghost's post.... Here’s a cropped and enlarged version of “ URBIS .” Notice that all of the letters are misshapen and distorted to a greater or lesser degree. Image1.jpg At left, the U has no serifs at upper left; the R has a wheat stem growing from bottom left and right leg is distorted – could...

Curious about why someone would want these imitation things.

In 1921 working dies were made from hubs. This required 5 to 7 squeezes in a medal press which accounts for occasional doubled or tripled dies. The only design element manually entered was the mintmark. You will need at least two identical examples to begin to establish plausibility for anything oth...