1878-S VAM 111? Or A New Variety

I kinda like where you're thinking with this. Let me contemplate it for a bit.

That stuff is going to differ slightly by strike and wear; your coin is actually fainter than the plate photos at VAMworld. I'm making a bit of a stretch to believe yours is that obverse, but it's not too big a stretch because nothing else really looks like that. The bottom right of your R is far less obvious, for instance, as is the B.

With the relative lack of info there, this is mostly on you to differentiate between 22, 77 and 111 using mintmark placement and die scratches (I can see none of those in your photos).

This looks identical to VAM 6 except the mint mark locations are different, VAM 6 is to the right of mine

Thanks for the help so far!!
I have used all my loupes and my digital scope which goes up to 150x.
There is no vertical die scratch from the wheat leaves up to the base of the I.
Nor is there a horizontal scratch in the 4th n 5th tail feathers.
I did notice a die scratch just to the right and below where the olive branch and arrows cross.
It runs from the olive branch down diagonally across tail feather 3.
Do you think this is an EDS and that is why the scratches aren't there ?

Thanks,
SeatedNut

Fascinating. With Seated Nut having turned his eye to this one, I'm going into status so I can learn from one who knows 1878's as well as anybody.

OK Bear with me on this one. Upfront, I can't tell you what it is (that should start the salivary glands), but I can tell you what it isn't ... here are the photo comparisons:

First the RIB yours is first, then VAM 6 and finally the II9 Obv (22, 77, and 111)

Kman


VAM 6


II9 Obv


Your coin is closer to V6 than the II9 Obverse (this includes the lack of the die scratch from the wheat stalk)

Die Scratch


But then there is that pesky 4th right star. The VAM 6 has a complete star and the II9 Obv has a complete star with some extra metal on top. Yours is like the II9 Obverse.

Yours


VAM 6 Star


The II9 Obv star


The only coin of my group (6, 22, 77, and 111) that showed any doubling of the LIBERTY is the VAM 6

VAM 6 LIBERTY


Now for the reverse ... yours appears to have a complete 'r' in trust. The B2J reverse ( VAM 6) is broken. The B2G ( VAM 22), the B2at ( VAM 77) and the B2a ( VAM 111) all have complete 'r' in Trust.

No coin in my group (6, 22, 77, or 111) had the diagonal die scratch in the tail that yours has.

Lastly, there's the mintmark

Here's yours


The VAM 6


The VAM 22


VAM 77


and the VAM 111


Yours is lower than the 77 and 111, and centered unlike the 22 and 6.

I don't believe you have a V6, 22, 77 or 111. Next you should visit VAMWorld and look at the listings for Vams 16, 54, 65, 85, 87, 100, 107 and 109. These Vams have the complete 'r' and the 4th right star. Then pose your questions there, too!

Kman,

It's a 16. That's why I placed those other options at the end of my response. I didn't have close-ups of the breast and wing, or even the 'r' in Trust. Re-looking at the 4th right star I would call that a ding.

For all ... the key to identifying 78-S starts with the 'r' in Trust, the 4th right star and the arrow nock. The long nocks are listed separately on the VAMWorld 78-S page and you can sort the remainder by the other two PUPs by clicking the hyperlink directly under the long nock listings.