I keep hearing about these VAMs especially with Morgan dollars, and they pretty much always involve some sort of die clash or scratch. Can someone explain to me what exactly a VAM is? Thank you!
Two numismatists, name VanAllen and Morris, VAM, researched to the die varieties used for striking the Morgans, as well as Peace dollars, and wrote a book on the different VAMs. VAM attribution can add a premium to the value of the Morgan dollars that have the known VAMs, especially if the VAM is a rare one, as well as on a rare date and mint marked coin. You can learn more at http://www.vamworld.com/
VAM is an acronym for the authors of the book, Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan and Peace Dollars. It was written by Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis, and the most recent 4th Edition was published in 1991. Despite its age and many new discoveries that have grown the VAM listings from 1800 in 1991 to over 4000 today, it is still called "The Bible". Mr. Van Allen still remains active today as the sole person responsible for assigning VAM numbers to all of the new discoveries. Chris
Here one more that has a few more lesser known Morgan & Peace Dollar's Vams. http://www.ashmore.com/vamupdate/
Thanks everyone! Bottom line, dollar coins (Morgans and Peaces) have many different die varieties. Having one of these varieties makes the coin much more valuable. Correct? Also, is there a price guide for these VAMS
The value, and added premium, will depend on the VAM rarety, how common the coin date and mintmark is, etc.
Not always! Sometimes the VAM will carry only a very slight premium, sometimes not. The VAMView Price Guide is published annually on behalf of the Society of Silver Dollar Collectors (SSDC) and is free to the membership. Only those VAM's that have a sales history, usually reported by auction houses and dealers, will be listed in the guide. Chris
