Sunday VAM finds

messydesk

I went to a local show for the first time in several months this weekend. Not a bad couple hours:

1878 VAM 167 AU
1878-S VAM 6 MS63
1878-S VAM 19A (pictured below)
1878 VAM 223 XF45
1926 VAM 2 MS63
1928-S DDO still trying to figure out which one AU

The 78-S VAM 19A is the nicest looking of the bunch

RVDavis

Nice pickups John. It's a disease ain't it?

Rick

eyoung429

Very sweet pickups!!!

RVDavis--Nah....it's not a disease (denial tone inserted here!) We can quit at any time!!

jdsinva

The 19A seems to be freshly polished and is one of my favs, with the broad die gouge across the bonnet, cool pick-up!

Coxe

Nice group. I like the 19A. Hoarded them until Craig wrote that guide and everyone else was getting into that game. Yours looks good, nice original luster.

IrishMike

Congrats, but for the benefit of those of us who are not nearly as experienced in the Vam game could you please be more descriptive of what the VAM is. It might also encourage more collectors to get into the game if they didn't need a translator.

RobJoyce1921dVAMguy

John,
Nice pickups! I love the VAM-19A as well. Can I use your obverse whole-coin picture in the VAMworld page? It is a very nice image, as usual


Irish Mike,
For the coin above, here's the specific vam feature, a die gouge.


There are other special features of the coin you can see on VAMworld:
http://vamworld.wikispaces.com/1878-S+VAM-19A

For the other coins,

There is a page describing the 1878-S VAM-6 but no images yet:
http://vamworld.wikispaces.com/1878-S+VAM-6
1878-P VAM-223 is already there:
http://vamworld.wikispaces.com/1878-P+VAM-223

1926-P VAM-2 exists as well.
http://vamworld.wikispaces.com/1926-P+VAM-2

People should feel free to link to pages and images over on VAMworld to educate collectors. Mike is right that VAMs are appreciated more with descriptions and pictures and I'll try to get them into my posts.


The other 1878-P VAM-167 page don't exist at all. It would be a nice quick project for someone to create it.

Regards,

Rob

messydesk

Rob, go ahead and use my full-coin picture for the 78-S VAM 19A on VAMWorld. This is an interesting variety for more than 1 reason. The reverse is heavily polished, probably because of a rough die. The eagle usually has a "sandblast" look to it from pitting, and the word STATES is very shallow. Both sides have slightly concave fields from all the polishing. When found, this coin is usually in mint state. I saw an MS67 that a prominent California collector passed around the table at the PCGS lunch. WOW!

I'll post the diagnostics of the VAM 167 later. It has a broken 'r' in "trust" on the reverse and extra spikes of metal on PLU on the obverse, but not like the extra spikes seen on the other VAMs 160-171.

eyoung429

Rob, just updated the page with the pics for the 1878 7tf VAM-162

IrishMike

Thanks Rob for the links. My suggestion was purely out of trying to spark more interest within the collecting community. It's a fun way to collect without investing tons of dough and putting up with comments about the strike, luster etc. if you get my drift. I can testify on my own behalf that it has been fun and reminds me of when I first started to fill up the Whitman back in the 50's. Maybe we can get a whole new generation involved, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

My thanks to a number of you guys that have made VAM informative and fun.

RobJoyce1921dVAMguy

Mike,
That's exactly what lured me into 1921-D Morgan VAMs. They are relatively inexpensive, especially if you are working the VAM feature and not condition rarity. The thrill of the hunt is tremendous and you can wind up with a much more interesting coin. You've got the disease!

Rob

RobJoyce1921dVAMguy

John and Earl,
Thanks for the VAMworld contributions!
Rob

nesvt

Nice ones John!
Everytime I read one of these threads, I realize how little I know (actually, I knew that already). That 78-S 19A looks amazing. I wonder if I've missed any of these? When I'm looking through raw 78-S coins, I usually focus on the long nock and gouges in the wings.

Peaceman

Ah... the Holiday Inn finds... yes, nice pickups... haven't been there in some time...