As a former avid Morgan collector of pls and dmpls, if I hadn't become fascinated with vams, I probably wouldn't have progressed to my current fascination with bust half Overton varieties.
As far as the OP's question, I don't know that they are any more or less popular than previously; it seems there has always been a steadfast niche of collectors in that particular market segment. I'm in the "collect what you like, like what you collect" camp for the most part... Collecting isn't necessarily about value; it's about enjoyment- or at least it should be. VAMmers are no different from specialty collectors in other areas of the hobby. For many it's more about the hunt, looking for seemingly obscure varieties, etc. I'm totally OK with that.
What I'm not totally OK with, however, is the methodology and lack of etiquette some variety collectors exhibit at shows, like plopping down at your table with a loupe and a copy of their book(s), hogging up table space going through your stock boxes one coin at a time for two hours, and then leaving without buying anything... but that's a subject for another thread, I suppose.
First- thanks for the pictures- especially the scarface 88-O- That example is about as good as they come. That is an amazing coin.
VAMS matter to those that specialize in Morgan and even Peace Dollars. For those that collect Morgans, VAMS are the final frontier and the pursuit is one of choice- one can dive deep into all the die varieties or just collect those of interest. I have always maintained that a Morgan Dollar set is not complete without the scarface, the Hot Lips, the shifted eagle, the 1903-s micro s, the 1899-o micro o among others-
Appreciation for these is not old school- its the cool school
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
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This one is pretty good.....
Looks like 79 to me. Yeah that seems fairly significant and a great image too.
As a former avid Morgan collector of pls and dmpls, if I hadn't become fascinated with vams, I probably wouldn't have progressed to my current fascination with bust half Overton varieties.
A round of cheers for all of us.
I'm in the "collect what you like, like what you collect" camp for the most part... Collecting isn't necessarily about value; it's about enjoyment- or at least it should be. VAMmers are no different from specialty collectors in other areas of the hobby. For many it's more about the hunt, looking for seemingly obscure varieties, etc. I'm totally OK with that.
What I'm not totally OK with, however, is the methodology and lack of etiquette some variety collectors exhibit at shows, like plopping down at your table with a loupe and a copy of their book(s), hogging up table space going through your stock boxes one coin at a time for two hours, and then leaving without buying anything... but that's a subject for another thread, I suppose.
RIP Mom- 1932-2012
VAMS matter to those that specialize in Morgan and even Peace Dollars. For those that collect Morgans, VAMS are the final frontier and the pursuit is one of choice- one can dive deep into all the die varieties or just collect those of interest. I have always maintained that a Morgan Dollar set is not complete without the scarface, the Hot Lips, the shifted eagle, the 1903-s micro s, the 1899-o micro o among others-
Appreciation for these is not old school- its the cool school
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.