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Does a VAM attribution help or detract from grading?

Started by Ynot-migration,

6 posts in this topic

James_OldeTowne

James_OldeTowne

Posted
Posted

Although some VAMs can yield some indication of die state, in general, they are die varieties, and therefore related very little to the sharpness of the dies. Therefore, in theory, I would say "no". However, in practice, the truth might be a bit different. Most VAMs require the use of a high powered glass to find the PUPs (pickup points) (which is why I don't care for VAMs all that much). So, during the process of attributing with the excessive magnification, it is possible that the grader's opinion could be skewed by the undue exaggeration of surface anomalies.

 

This is just my armchair theory. Naturally, if the graders are entirely different personnel from the attributers, this issue goes away.

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coinectomy-migration

coinectomy-migration

Posted
Posted

Sir,

 

Remember, not all VAM's are created equal! Many of them cannot be detected outside of 10X magnification as the previous poster mentions. Some VAM's are highly collectable if they are very obvious and on the obverse of the coin. The "Hot Lips" variety comes to mind.

 

Compare that with the 1880/9-S VAM11. The only way that this variety might be valuable is in MS66 where there is darn few of them.

 

Overall, I would not pay more for a coin just because of a VAM attribution, yet if two coins were the same quality and price, I would buy the VAM.

 

The most important thing in collecting morgans with regard to value is "eye appeal" which is more a function of strike/luster/toning and clean surfaces as opposed to a variety designation.

 

It's not just the ticks on the coin either. It's where the ticks are located. Say you have two morgans that are graded ms65. The first one has the magority of the ticks in the field. The second one has the majority of the ticks on Liberty's cheek. The first coin will sell for more than the second every time!

 

Lastly, remember that if you are lucky enough to buy the MS66-68 Morgans, only buy the coins that have liberty in a "catoyant" state. This means that her cheek is clean enough, and the luster bright enough to make her blush when you move the coin back and forth slightly. These coins are very rare and a joy to behold.

Please don't just look at the grade on the slab and make your decision.

 

I hope this helps!

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coinman1794

coinman1794

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Posted
Do you think a VAM grades lower than a non-VAM? What is the general consensus?

 

As usual, this will be controversial. I find that the more time NGC spends on a coin (variety plus attribution takes place by a grader before the coins are sent in for grading), the more "accurate" the grade will be. If you are hoping for optomistic results, you usually dont get them on VP coins, in my experience. They have more time and an extra examination with which to detect various flaws.

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prudden

prudden

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Posted

There are VAMs and there are VAMs.I think I read recently where there are now thousands of published VAMS. PCGS and NGC both only attribute the top 100. Most won't hurt the value,but won't really help either.

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