VAM Rarity Question

I can agree with you that rust is the cause, but I have to wonder this one point.....As with all dies, and all the years dies where made... they are hardened high grade steel......
which will rust easily...this is not a new phenomenome...how ever how did not all years suffer the same issues of rusting.. I must only assume that the dies were oiled to prevent the possibility of rusting....metal work was not an unknown idea of the times as it has been known for millenias,,, one must conclude that the dies were oiled to prevent rust from forming on the surface of the dies.....yet this is a joe-blow working environment where when the3 time clock runs out..the day is done.. reguardless If we didn't get the dies oiled..
If you have any experience in production lines, then you can see where there is room for error, when the production line is made to prevent any errors..the process in fact has loop holes..AS in pitted coins, they don't involve all the years....so there is something else in the process that allows for the error... Yet I for one can't see why such a crap like rust DEMANDS so much attention...Vams have been base on simple attributes, like doubling and clashings...now to wedge on into nothingness we find rat droppings and proclaim them as something special....
Truthfully....I hate advertising....it only promotes it self...got to keep up with the Jone's....Yea they died out in the 70's... But they keep promoting the "NEW" you you get sucked into something that later you find its never been new...NUFF SAID

Oh Remmy, I like that very much. Pat is a smart guy, but your definition of vamming right there is something that I will never forget. I 'really' like that.

If that is your definition then, you must know the press, its capabilities and limitations. Without that knowledge, your personal experience will be dependent on the musings of others.

Maybe it isn't that hard for you buddy, but I feel as though I have been thrashing about in the water not knowing how to swim. When you guys start talking about the late and early states of VAM 3Cl, I can actually feel my eyeballs roll back in my head (way back).

Gene, I copied this from your post on page 2 of this thread. It is probably something that I just will never be able to comprehend, but was hoping that you could take just one more stab at explaining it to me:

R-1 = Common (Tens of Millions)
R-2 = Not so Common (Several Million)
R-3 = Scarce (Hundreds of Thousands)
R-4 = Very Scarce (Tens of Thousands)
R-5 = Rare (Several Thousand)
R-6 = Very Rare (Several Hundred)
R-7 = Extremely Rare (Few Tens)
R-8 = Unique or Nearly Unique (Several)

Okay, here is where I get lost: How long did a die last? How many coins could a particularly prolific die pair produce? Even at a survival rate of 100%, is R-3 realistic?

It would seem to me that R-1, R-2, and R-3 would be nonexistent, (as impossibilities)......which causes me to doubt the rest.......

Now I do understand that the ratings assigned to individual vams were just best guesses at time of discovery, but, if the basis for the entire theory is obviously impossible, then why build upon it?

Thanks for the clarification Dave.

Obviously ignorance on my part. Thanks both of you then.