VAM Books and References

There are several excellent references on silver dollar varieties:

• The Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan & Peace Dollars by Leroy C. Van Allen and A. George Mallis.  Affectionately known as "the big VAM book" by collectors, this is currently in its fourth edition.  First published in 1971, it was updated and reprinted in 1998.   It contains a detailed listing of all known (at the time) die varieties listed date-by-date and is loaded with pictures.   At more than 500 pages, it contains a wealth of mainstream information dealing with the history of Morgan dollars, grading, counterfeit detection, photography instruction and more.  Leroy Van Allen has also put out supplements and detailed attribution guides since this work was published.  Check them out here.

• The Top 100 Morgan Dollar Varieties by Michael S. Fey Ph.D. and Jeff Oxman.  This guide lists popular die varieties with descriptions and detailed pictures.  It offers rarity information as well as suggested values.

• Top 100 Insights & The Top 100 Value Guide - A quarterly newsletter devoted to information on VAMs, especially ones in the Top 100.   Published by Michael S. Fey, Ph.D. http://rcicoins.com/Insights.asp

   

• SSDC Official Guide to the Hot 50 Morgan Dollar Varieties.   An attribution guide for additional varieties beyond the Top 100 list.  By Jeff Oxman with Photos by Bill Fivaz. Currently out of print!

• The SSDC 8-TF Attribution Guide.  A guide to attributing the 8 tail-feather Morgans.  It includes a system for determining the VAM number.  It includes rarity and value information as well.  By Less Hartnett and Jeff Oxman with photos by Bill Fivaz.

• The 8-TF Attribution Wizard is computer CD that makes attributing your 8 tail feather varieties a snap! The software asks you simple yes and no questions about your coin's features until the coin is accurately attributed! By John Baumgaurt and Jeff Oxman.   Click here for Stanton books, one seller of this software.

• Morgan Dollar Overdates, Over Mintmarks, Misplaced Dates, and Clashed E Reverses , Informative text on subject topics, illustrating and pricing. Argues against several OMMs and ODs with supportive analysis and overlays.  By Kevin Flynn, Pricing by Gene Henry.

• The SSDC 7/8 TF Attribution Guide.  Identification of 7 over 8 tail-feather Morgans.  It includes attributions for all 7/8TF and B¹ reverse varieties.  By Less Hartnett and Jeff Oxman with photos by Bill Fivaz.

• 1879s Reverse of 1878 Morgan Dollar Book.  A 52 page book that attributes all 15 varieties of this top 100 coin with hundreds of reference pictures have been released. The Results of the collaborative research by Mr Calvin Cherry, Mr. William Eubanks, Dr Mike Fey, Mr Leroy Van Allen, and the author David Wang is presented to the Numismatic Community.  By David T. Wang davewang202@yahoo.com   http://mywebpages.comcast.net/davewang202/Research/1879sPAF/book.html

• The Cherrypicker’s Guide to Rare Die Varieties.  Includes die varieties for multiple types of coins including some Morgan Dollar VAMs.  By Bill Fivaz & J.T. Stanton.

• The Comprehensive U.S. Silver Dollar Encyclopedia.  Large tome covering many topics of silver dollars.  By John Highfill

• Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia.  Focuses on traditional dollar information without minimal coverage of die varieties.  Any book by Bowers, however, is well worth reading.  By Q. David Bowers.