VAM $$$ Left on the Table
Coxe
Posts: 11,139 ✭
Going over some of my old notes, I found a few VAMs I sure wish I had bought when they were cheap or at least there weren't dozens of cherrypickers on them. Maybe some others have some good stories too? These are only the tip of the iceberg.
In two Bowers & Merena (the real deal, not Teletrade's first cousin like today) in 1998 and 1999, I passed on what would be two certified gem 1891-O VAM-3A Morgans. Why? I thought they were not very good representative VAM-1A Morgans because the E wasn't bold. In the Morgan/Leckar sale of Dec '98, an NGC 65 sold for under $3K, with the juice. Then the next month in their FUN sale, a PCGS 65 went for a little over $6K. Any ideas what they'd bring today? The best part is that they are still out there and their owners is probably oblivious to the treasures in their possessions.
What is a gem tailbar worth? There was one, a solid prooflike 65, in the Shahbabian sale on Jan 1996 that sold for $1,200. I recall another, an NGC 64DPL, in an old David Lawrence inventory made available for a similarly insanely low price. Why I passed on it and threw thousands out the window I'll never figure out. I think I saw it come up a few years later in one of their early auctions, fully attributed that time for quite a bit more money. But all that is in other notes, all not as organized as I'd like.
Any other good stories while I look for more?
In two Bowers & Merena (the real deal, not Teletrade's first cousin like today) in 1998 and 1999, I passed on what would be two certified gem 1891-O VAM-3A Morgans. Why? I thought they were not very good representative VAM-1A Morgans because the E wasn't bold. In the Morgan/Leckar sale of Dec '98, an NGC 65 sold for under $3K, with the juice. Then the next month in their FUN sale, a PCGS 65 went for a little over $6K. Any ideas what they'd bring today? The best part is that they are still out there and their owners is probably oblivious to the treasures in their possessions.
What is a gem tailbar worth? There was one, a solid prooflike 65, in the Shahbabian sale on Jan 1996 that sold for $1,200. I recall another, an NGC 64DPL, in an old David Lawrence inventory made available for a similarly insanely low price. Why I passed on it and threw thousands out the window I'll never figure out. I think I saw it come up a few years later in one of their early auctions, fully attributed that time for quite a bit more money. But all that is in other notes, all not as organized as I'd like.
Any other good stories while I look for more?
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Comments
You win some, you lose some
The market is nowhere near the same as it was back in the late 90's
The only thing that comes to mind is an 1891 Vam 2A that I was the underbidder on because
I dodn't know its value in AU and also because I wasn't 100% sure that it was one. I later found out
that it was and I was pretty disappointed.