1902 O Morgan VAM?

Here's the O-N-E pic

Wait a minute Terry, maybe I don't have it after all. I need help on identifying near and normal dates I think....That seems to be my main hang up....Using your method, which would have been my method anyway, VAM 18 would have been one of the first things that I would eliminate as not being a normal date.

Now the filled '2' I could imagine being consistent with 'any' of the '02 varieties given the depth, narrow width, and extended length of the engraving, (lending that die prong to breakage), but the normal date placement coupled with the tilted mm caused me to look in the wrong direction.

I realize that the 'pit' near the D may be one heck of a standout pup, but what about the 'basics'?

So here is what I find to be the most frustrating aspect of VAM identification:

The date and mm placements I had always considered the be the basic starting points. Now, the basics should not be gray areas, but rather clearly defined. This should not be too hard to do, and I can now see merit in what Russ was saying about determining the bottom of the reverse. What exactly is 'upright' when referring to a mm? In relationship to what? Is the eagle itself the base for this determination? Do eagles naturally tilt to the left or right when spreading their wings? Do they balance themselves in such a tilt? This would be only a matter of perception.
The wreath is only a another matter of perception.

I could see how IGWT would be a good reference if aligned horizontally at 90 degrees from bottom. Is this what folks use to determine mm tilt?

As far as date placement goes, this seems to be another matter of perception. There really needs to be a 'thin line' in the determination rather than a the window of gray area where a date could be 'either, or'.

If bringing new folks into vamming is the goal, then the vamming community needs to make things like date and mm placement either black or white, and as easy as possible rather than allowing even the basics to be catch-22.

I did say earlier I remembered VAM 18 have a pitted D in dollar. So I looked there first.

A lot of what you guys are saying is lost on me, but I am taking a crash course in learning. So is the grand picture leaning towards that this coin is or is not a legitimate VAM?

By the way. Thanks to everyone that has contributed so far.

Oh, it is definitely a genuine VAM prlahr, and much of what I am saying is lost on me too. I am hoping to take a lesson here.

Okay, thanks Dave, those were two of my burning hang ups answered right there.

Should it be though? That is my other hang up that I get lost on.

I am beginning to get the feeling that unless Terry can say with all certainty that this is VAM 18, we might not be able to find out for sure, unless one of us has Alan's new superbook.