Vam It!
Published by Larry on Tagged 1800's Coins, Coin Collecting Basics, Instuctional
VAMS are special silver dollars. At one time I was a normal collector, then someone showed me a VAM. It caprivated me! It inspired me! I could not get enough of them. I became a VAMnut. Just exactly what are these special silver dollars?
Silver dollars are created by striking metal blanks with hardened dies containing the image of the desired pattern. The hammer die exerts a minimum pressure of about 40 tons per square inch. Through very careful study, slight differences can be used to ID specific dies that created the coins. Sometimes the differences in the coins are caused by the nature or makeup of the dies and sometimes by the maintenance or use of the dies.
More than 40 years ago Leroy C. Van Allen and A. George Mallis published an extensive book on the varieties of Morgan and Peace US Silver Dollars. The name VAM is an acronym for “Van Allen - Mallis.” The goal of what is now termed the VAM System, is to number and catalogue every known die variety by date and mint mark. New varieties are continually being added to the list.
The 1882 S Dollar pictured below, a metal detector find, is possibly a new VAM. I have examined the 29 VAMS for this date and none is close to it. My coin has major doubling on both sides and several other distinct features. In times past, getting a coin VAMMED was difficult and costly as all coins were sent to Van Allen - Mallis for attribution. Today, there are several options if careful checking the VAM book and other prominent publications found on Google dealing with VAM listings. Go to VAMworld.com and follow the guidlines to see if you have a new variety. Send your coin to a grading service that will attribute any known VAM variety. For a fee, the grading services will utilize all of their resources to attribute a VAM number. A third option is to send your coin to John Baumgart’s Variety Slabbing Service. A nominal fee will get any Morgan or Peace Dollar attributed and put into a Coin World slab annotated with the variety number and description. This is not a grading service but a great way to get a coin its VAM! Here’s to “diggin it!” Larry
Click On Coin
June 7th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Hi Larry. I wanted to thank you for taking the time and putting the energy into creating a wonderful online resource for this new metal detector. I just moved down to Spring Hill Fl from NY and picked up my first detector.
I’ve been out a few times so far and can tell i’ve been bitten by the bug.
Your tips and stories have inspired me.
Thank you.
Dan Stevenson
danny1dotcom@yahoo.com
June 8th, 2008 at 4:55 am
Thank you Dan. Good to have you on board and welcome to Florida. Your comment qualifies you for this month’s coin giveaway too.
June 12th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Larry, More interesting content from you. It’s amazing what info is out there regarding this wonderful hobby. Enjoy and Keep Diggin It !
Mike D.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
wow, you have really found some awesome stuff, and taken the time to research. I have only been detecting for maybe a year and have found nothing of the sort. happy hunting.