FINALLY! Cherried a VAM-14.X

Coxe · November 4, 2006 8:32AM

Sure, a lot of us have a dozen or so 14.1. But this is the first one of these I have found. Twenty bucks in VF today. Got a lot of other VAMs, but this cherry goes to the top of the sundae. Guess which VAM? (Reverse is A1c.)

dwssws · November 4, 2006 8:37AM

my guess is 14.17

if so nice score

DennisH · November 4, 2006 9:08AM

Is that a 14.17? (!!)

If it is, then I'll need to tell the bullpen to start warming up a "YOU SUCK!"

Coxe · November 4, 2006 9:08AM

<< my guess is 14.17

if so nice score

>>

By jove, Steve, you got it! This is a REALLY TOUGH one to sink in. I have a lot more cherries for the day but nothing else of this calibre. The frustration is not being able to get a pop on the VAM at PCGS currently. NGC has none and ANACS too.

dwssws · November 4, 2006 9:21AM

very nice pickup! so what else did you get?

Coxe · November 4, 2006 9:37AM

<< very nice pickup! so what else did you get?

>>

Still working out the haul.

From the coin shop cherrying:

1878 VAM-14.17 VF20
1880 MS64 possible new clash find
1892-O VAM-7 XF40 (I gotta start selling these VAM-7 doubled ears)

From Teletrade:

1878 VAM-5 PCGS MS64 (fully struck and full DMPL obverse)
1882-O VAM-17A ICG MS64
1896 VAM-1A NGC MS64 DPL (Bar 6 Hot-50, old fat holder)
1900 VAM-16 PCGS MS63 (not a cherry, already attributed on the tag)
1926-S VAM-4 PCGS MS62 (OGH, Top-50 dot variety)

From eBay (cherries):

1880 VAM-23 VF20 (very tough 80/79 overdate Top-100 VAM)
1921-S NGC MS63 in a 1921-P tagged slab

From eBay (attributed already):

1901 VAM-5 PCGS XF40 (Hot-50 doubled ear)

There are some more around here somewhere.

dwssws · November 4, 2006 10:00AM

nice group! reminds me that I have to get out more

see what i can find in Baltimore

BIGDAVE · November 4, 2006 10:17AM

So you are the one that out bid me on the Vam 5..

Coxe · November 4, 2006 10:18AM

<< So you are the one that out bid me on the Vam 5.. >>

So you are the one that made me pay full price for that baby.

DennisH · November 4, 2006 10:35AM

Just going by the obverse, the 14.17 sure looks better than a VF20!

Coxe · November 4, 2006 11:03AM

<< Just going by the obverse, the 14.17 sure looks better than a VF20! >>

Here is the reverse. Maybe I was conservative in the grade? Will find out soon enough. I am shipping it out to PCGS MOnday probably.

messydesk · November 4, 2006 11:22AM

Carol needs to add a "You Suck™" emoticon to the library. Looks like a VF30 to me. I can't make out the diagnostic you're pointing to on this one, which pretty much makes it a VAM 14.17. I have 12 pictures of the I1-16 (VAM 14.17) obverse in the 8TF Attribution Wizard, and none of them gives much to look at. Ironically, one of the rarest 8TF varieties has arguably the cleanest sunk dies. Other diagnostics to use are a chip in the top part of the ear, a small dot in the left part of the top left serif of the Y, and a small chip in the recessed area in the hair radially in fron the first right star (polar coordinates would be r=0.5, theta=-65°).

Coxe · November 4, 2006 11:33AM

Whoa, John B! I checked and this one has them all. I have the 8TF wizard but didn't think to pop it in. Spent along time trying to figure out if it was 14.12 (without the cracks) or 14.17. Here is the clearest of the diagnostics you gave from this coin. (Is this the right spot?)

BTW, some of the other lighter dots in Jeff's attribution image of the eye are on this coin too.

DennisH · November 4, 2006 11:45AM

I really like it as a VF30, and 35 doesn't seem out of the question!

messydesk · November 4, 2006 11:54AM

<< Whoa, John B! I checked and this one has them all. I have the 8TF wizard but didn't think to pop it in. Spent along time trying to figure out if it was 14.12 (without the cracks) or 14.17. Here is the clearest of the diagnostics you gave from this coin. (Is this the right spot?)

>>

That wasn't the chip I have a picture of, but perhaps it's another one I didn't shoot. Go straight up from the middle of the shaft of your red arrow into the "bear paw" recessed area.

<< BTW, some of the other lighter dots in Jeff's attribution image of the eye are on this coin too. >>

Thank goodness he has an AU specimen I could shoot (and yes, it's PL). We spent quite a while hunting for whatever diagnostics we could.

Coxe · November 4, 2006 12:04PM

Well, I am not sure what to look for there. Something is between the 2nd and 3rd left toes sticking up. There is a notable chip abut 2/3 of the way over near the top of this shot. Does that match anything you are familiar with?

messydesk · November 4, 2006 12:14PM

<< Well, I am not sure what to look for there. Something is between the 2nd and 3rd left toes sticking up. There is a notable chip abut 2/3 of the way over near the top of this shot. Does that match anything you are familiar with?

>>

It should be right about here:

This is the Wizard picture of Jeff's coin.

Coxe · November 4, 2006 12:46PM

Hmm. don't see it and the crack on Jeff's piece differs from a local one in that area on mine. Well, this is getting puzzling. I think I will just send it off to Leroy with a bunch of others I was going to send him anyway. Perhaps it will be a new one? The absence of cracks rules many out. Will enjoy the VAM-5 while I wait to hear from Leroy.

Wolf359 · November 4, 2006 5:05PM

A 14.17 would be an outstanding discovery!

RobJoyce1921dVAMguy · November 4, 2006 9:40PM

Excellent John!

Coxe · November 5, 2006 2:10AM

Unfortunately, I think it is a lesser variety having examined it more thoroughly. But $20 for a problem-free VF 8TF ain't bad whatever the variety. Gotta shed the rose-coloured glasses and get looking for more coins.

It seems to be only a 14.2, with the N/ONE not showing the characteristics of the A1L reverse. If someone has a 14.2 and can corroborate the dot above the second 8 in the date as show in the detail shot, that would be helpful. Rare coins are rare. Need to look at a lot more.

Yale68 · November 5, 2006 5:33AM

My 14.2 does have the dot in that location. Does the F on the reverse have a bulge on its base, which is characteristic of the A1c reverse? Can't tell from the reverse scan.

Coxe · November 5, 2006 5:39AM

It looked like it had the characteristic bulge but is in that grey region due to the middle state of wear. That is how to find the A1c rarities though: see that bulge and no die cracks in the stars, you gotta look close at the eye. I am pretty sure this one is a VAM-14.2, as you have helped confirm. Thanks!

RVDavis · November 5, 2006 5:57AM

John:

I have the die chip in the hair on my 14.2.

Rick

Coxe · November 5, 2006 6:24AM

Thanks, Rick. I am certain it is 14.2. Not bad for twenty bucks but not worth slabbing. Need to keep looking. So much to do before Santa Clara....

dwssws · November 5, 2006 6:51AM

guess I was wrong again

but I was hoping for you!

Coxe · November 5, 2006 7:53AM

Thanks for playing anyway. Reminds me of my seeing weakly clashed Es that weren't there too.

dwssws · November 5, 2006 8:20AM

know what you mean by the "E's" I see them all the time (even though no one else does)

messydesk · November 5, 2006 1:10PM

<< know what you mean by the "E's" I see them all the time (even though no one else does)

>>

That's what Terry Armstrong used to call the "Phantom E." Only he could see it.

Coxe · November 5, 2006 1:17PM

<< 

<< know what you mean by the "E's" I see them all the time (even though no one else does)

>>

That's what Terry Armstrong used to call the "Phantom E." Only he could see it.

>>

That's funny, that is the exact same name I gave them. Well, it sure is appropriate.

Teletrade looked crappy tonight from the spotty looksees I did over their silver dollars. Grabbed one on Heritage on an attribution guess for common money. Will probably pass on an eBay lot due to too high of a reserve.

FINALLY! Cherried a VAM-14.X

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