Help understanding Morgan Vam's

[bsshog40]

I've been re-looking over some Morgans I have bought. I only have a few but someone mentioned possible vam in one that I'm purchasing and waiting to come. This made me go to VamWorld and check what few Morgans I have. This is what I found. Some didn't have any picture or explanation anymore?? Is this no longer a Vam?? The Morgans I'm looking at, this is what I found:

1889P- high 9 - Vam 7 - no data available

1886P - high 6 - Vam 6 - no data vailable

1921P - Die crack from "E" in e pluribus, goes all the way around stars to base of neck on Obv. - no vam listed

 

Any help with understanding what Vams actually mean? Do they make the coin have more value than one without a Vam? When VamWorld shows no info for the Vam listed, is this Vam obsolete? Do die cracks have to be a certain size to be a Vam?

 

thanks for any help ya'll.

[Dwaine]

I am also interested in learning more about this. I recently purchased a book called The Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan and Peace Dollars. I am hoping that it will have more info. I wasn't very please with vamworld.

[bsshog40]

I'm adding a few pics here of my 1921P

[bigmanSAM88]

VAM's are varieties of a regular morgan or peace dollar. The name VAM is just named after the people that strarted them (Van Allen and Mallis). A VAM can happen from die breaks, engraving errors by the mint, or other things such as die gouges. The Cherrypicker's Guide Does an excellent job illustrating the VAM's and explaining them (4th Edition Volume 2 had morgans and peace dollars). They are fun to look for and do add value to some coins if they are rare VAM's, and some VAM's are common and don't add any value.

[TomB]

To expand upon the previous post, it is my understanding that a VAM is the die pair designation for a particular coin in a particular die state. If these are priced and collected in a similar way to early half dollars and Overton varieties, then most VAM designation would not add any value to a coin. However, those with spectacular die definitions or with very cool names would be more highly sought and would rise in price.

[cpm9ball]

You should also bear in mind that Morgan dollars were only struck for 28 years, 1878-1904 and once more in 1921, but there are more than 3,000 VAM's. New varieties are still being found. There are many that have been discovered since the publication of the VAM Encyclopedia, and VAMWorld must rely on feedback from its members for updated information. The CPG couldn't possibly list everything. The book would be huge!

 

When I was at the FUN Show in January, I decided to attend the Society of Silver Dollar Collectors (SSDC) meeting. It was very informative and I paid $200 for a lifetime membership. Now, I receive e-mail updates (VamE Newsletter) automatically on all of the latest information regarding VAM's. The SSDC even publishes the VAMView Retail Price Index which tracks the most recent sales information for specific VAM's.

 

Sometimes a new VAM will be discovered that replaces or combines with another. In these instances, a VAM# would be retired. There are other times when a VAM discovery may have additional attributes in a later die state that are not found on the original. In these instances, the VAM# would simply be modified, i.e. VAM3, VAM3A, to indicate the continued existence of both.

 

Chris

[bsshog40]

I guess that's why alot of the Vam's shown on VamWorld have links no kore due to being retired. Thos of you more knowledgeable with these, do you think my pics above indicate some sort of Vam or potential for one?