TPGs and Variety Attributions
oneor11
Posts: 208
Hi all,
When submitting a coin to a TPG, will that TPG tell you if you're submitting a variety coin if you don't specify it? For instance, if the owner unknowingly submits, say a silver dollar, that has a VAM will the TPG:
1. alert the submitter that there is a VAM and ask him or her to submit extra funds for the attribute?
2. notice that there's a VAM but just grade it without the attribute and not tell the owner?
3. grade it with the VAM attribute because that's what they see?
4. not even look if it's a VAM and grade it normally?
5. something else?
I saw a certified PCGS silver dollar with what I am pretty certain is a VAM, but it doesn't have the attribute. Was wondering if the owner just didn't know about it, or if it's truly not a VAM since it wasn't graded as such.
Thanks for the education. This coin collecting and studying is fun stuff. I haven't done a lick of work all week.
Jacob
When submitting a coin to a TPG, will that TPG tell you if you're submitting a variety coin if you don't specify it? For instance, if the owner unknowingly submits, say a silver dollar, that has a VAM will the TPG:
1. alert the submitter that there is a VAM and ask him or her to submit extra funds for the attribute?
2. notice that there's a VAM but just grade it without the attribute and not tell the owner?
3. grade it with the VAM attribute because that's what they see?
4. not even look if it's a VAM and grade it normally?
5. something else?
I saw a certified PCGS silver dollar with what I am pretty certain is a VAM, but it doesn't have the attribute. Was wondering if the owner just didn't know about it, or if it's truly not a VAM since it wasn't graded as such.
Thanks for the education. This coin collecting and studying is fun stuff. I haven't done a lick of work all week.
Jacob
0
Comments
A VAM number refers to a discernably unique die pair used to make a Morgan or Peace dollar. Unless the variety is a "Red Book" variety that gets noticed without going to an attributor, it will not be attributed to VAM number. Even then, only the "Red Book" variety designation will be used. For example, there are many 1880/79-S Morgan dollars if you consider the VAM numbers. If you send any one of them to PCGS as an 1880-S, the most they'll do is holder it as 1880/79-S. If you want it attributed to VAM number by them, you pay extra for it to go through the attribution process. Finally, PCGS doesn't acknowledge all VAMs on their holders -- only the most popularly collected ones. The big reason for this is likely time. The popular VAMs can be attributed or ruled out rather quickly. Most of the rest are not attributed as quickly. I attribute VAMs for people, and I've done some that I put down after 5 or 10 minutes and come back to another time, possibly with a ruling that it needs to be seen by Leroy Van Allen as a possible new listing. Neither PCGS nor NGC wants to get into being bogged down that long for a single coin.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution