VAM Prices: Are there reliable price discovery and rarity tools?

CalGold

The Feb. 13 CDN Monthly featured a new article on VAMs that are bringing higher prices. Messrs Oxman and Fey note that the prices for the most valuable VAMs listed "have not been recently tested and might be substantially higher." What reliable pricing data and price discovery sources are really out there for VAMs? If you sample the Heritage auction archives for example, you will come up with a rather paltry number of VAM designated coins. A similar question can be asked for testing rarity.

CG

DennisH

The extent of reliable data is close to non-existent.

Fey puts out a quarterly Top 100 price guide that is about as close as it gets. But the reality is that any coin that is in the PCGS "with varieties" Set Registry tends to go for more. A handful of us who watch/bid on these coins have a decent feel for the actual market, but if you stop paying attention for even a month it has a way of changing on you.

poptopsRus

All I know is that if you have a tougher VAM variety they bring well over the money than anything published.

Peaceman

I concur....

Here's some pop numbers on Peace $ VAM's from NGC's site on the one's I'm collecting.......

1922 Extra hair, early die state.... 1
1923 Whisker Jaw........................ 6
1924 extra wing........................... 1

This doesn't include ANACS/SEGS/PCI who also designates the top 50 too.... but take for instance the 1923 whisker jaw.... there's about 100 slabbed.... it wouldn't take that many people to "corner" the market on this coin..... I already own 6.... and know someone who buys every one of them that comes to market......

greghansen

if you stop paying attention for even a month it has a way of changing on you.

Amen brother....What DennisH said...in spades!