Attributed my 1st Morgan $1 VAM today ?

[dadams]

Kinda' excited as I'm 90% certain I attributed my first Morgan Dollar VAM today. I'd love a confirmation, and I suppose a GTG too!

Here is a coin I picked up a few months ago from a Local Coin Shop:

 

 

Today I got around to looking at it more closely and was interested to see if there was a VAM assigned to this coin that exhibits a die break across the mint mark:

 

 

So I made my way over to VAMworld and determined this to be the Oval O reverse. I lucked out in that there is a picture there of this die break.

That really helped me out. So now I'm studying the VAM-37's and am pretty sure my coin is a 1884-O VAM-37A2 18 in Denticles, Far Date, Clashed Obverse st

 

Here are my coins markers:

 

 

Is it true? Do I have a 1884-O VAM-37A2

 

I'd really like to learn how to do these attributions. Is there general method to follow when attributing VAMs? I've been reading at VAMworld

and even spent a couple hours with an 1883-O Morgan I own, and well, I felt a bit overwhelmed with all the info and got nowhere with that one.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

-d

 

 

[messydesk]

It looks like the coin probably is VAM 37A2. The difference between 37A1 and 37A2 is the transfer of part of the letters "st" from "trust" to the corresponding area behind Liberty's hair. VAM 37A1 is unclashed, so given you're showing a clashed coin, it's probably VAM 37A2. Read the "Attribution 101" page on VAMWorld. It's quite good at discussing how to get started attributing a coin. Some coins will lead you to dead ends like the 83-O you had, and many coins from 1881 and 1921. Others will have more obvious features on them. 1878 is its own barrel of monkeys, lots of cool stuff to see and very heavily studied.

 

Join VAMWorld and ask questions on the message board that show you're trying to learn how to attribute coins. Simply asking for an attribution as a newcomer will get you nowhere.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[dadams]

John,

 

Thanks so much for the reply. I checked for the st clash in the Hair Vee and it is there albeit very, very lightly. The clashing in the Cap Vee is far stronger. Perhaps its more difficult to view since this is not a blast white coin. I think it's safe to say, 100% now, this is an 1884-O VAM-37A2. I've only a half dozen or so Morgan Dollars, yet I can certainly see how they may easily become addicting. I have read Attribution 101 and I'll read it again, and again to get some of that info to stick in my brain. I appreciate the SSDC making VAMWorld available to all collectors.

 

All best,

 

Doug

 

[AHFreak]

You are entering a proverbial rabbit hole my friend.... (from what I hear about VAM's anyways).... good luck to you, I wish you well.

 

I would call that coin a MS62 based on the pic, in the chance that the coin isn't as chattery as the pic makes it look, maybe it could be a 63. IMO.

[Raisethis2]

I came up with MS 63 on my review of the coin. I'm not one for VAMs necessarily but I know messydesk is one of the "go to" guys so his opinion should be correct.