1878-S VAM-113
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1878-S VAM-113 Discovered by Mark Daveler in October 2013 '''113 II 46 - B2x (Engraved Hair Ends & Wing Feather, Acid Treated Feathers) (?) ''' '''Obverse II 46 -- '''Die 4. About 10 hair strand ends strengthened & extended by engraving in three hair gaps above 78. Over-polishing of die had enlarged these gaps and San Francisco Mint experimented to reduce gaps by strengthening & extending hair ends. Only known case of engraving on obverse hair. Likely a unique trial die and rare. '''Reverse B2x -- '''Same die as 1878-S VAMs 36 & 36A but earlier die state than VAM 36 obverse die 1 combo. '''DPIS - ;Emission Sequence :Obverse: :Reverse: '''Comments: '''LVA Comments: "...this is '''first known case''' with engraving by San Francisco Mint on hair strands...combined with '''most extensive acid treated''' Rev known. I suspect this is really a trial Obv & this die combo must be very rare. '78-S varieties have been extensively studied & this Obv die had not been reported. Rev die is earlier die state than with VAM-36 Die 1 Obv. Likely this die combo was first one used with B2x Rev Since both are very EDS with PL surfaces. Will be interesting to see if other examples of this die combo can be found." --- Leroy Van Allen '''Additional Comments: # This variety is easily identified by the unique characteristics on the obverse seen in Leroy Van Allen's Plate Photos below. # The hair ends indicated by the upper arrow in the left photo are particularly distinctive and allow for a quick, one-step attribution. # VAM-113 is currently the only known use of this Obv die. # This is the fourth obverse discovered to have been paired with the B2x "Dragon Scales" Reverse: Die #1 (VAM-36 and -36B), #2 (VAM-36A), #3 (VAM-36 again) & #4 (VAM-113). LVA Plate Photos Additional Photos The obverse photos below show additional characteristics seen on the Discovery Piece, some of which are also found on other varieties, and some that may be unique to this die. All, though, serve to illustrate VAM-113 and may also be helpful in determining whether this Obv might have been used in a pre-"engraved hair" state in another pairing. Overall view of the engraved hair area. The Cap Band is complete, but weak. This variety has a Broken 4th Right Star and a broken "B" in "Pluribus". There is a small cluster of gouges above the eyelid tip and a small die chip directly beneath the ear lobe/rear jaw juncture. "Liberty" is doubled left with scattered diagonal gouges (most notable at top and middle-left of "R"), and there is a long intermittent arcing die scratch starting within the top right serif of the "T" and running progressively stronger to the upper left of the right cotton boll. There is also a straight die scratch connecting the right wheat leaf to the adjacent cotton leaf. The VAM-113 Discovery Piece exhibits what appears to be ejection damage at the jaw/neck juncture and along the bottom of Ms. Liberty's cap. The "Dragon Scales" acid-treated wing feathers of VAM-113 are also found on VAM-36, -36A and -36B. '''Photos of a VF30 example:''' These views show what might be expected on a well-circulated specimen. '''Discovery Coin ...''' Original Teletrade Copyrighted© full-coin photos of ANACS MS62PL VAM-113 Discovery Piece courtesy of Stack's Bowers Galleries. Attributed by '''Leroy Van Allen.''' Full Coin Photos 2 full coin copyrighted© VAM-113 images below on loan to VAMworld courtesy of '''PAFs''' uploaded by '''oldcollectorcoins''' attributed by '''PAFs''' ANACS MS62PL, ANACS VF30, ANACS 50 (attributed),PCGS VG10 Top