Started A VAM Registry Set I've Always Wanted To. #14

What a great task to undertake. It will be a true labor of love.

color me jealous... Very nice coins

Peaceman,

Those are awesome picks! Would love to hear how/where you discovered them.

As a VAM collector for many years I have gone through a vast change in collecting habits. At first I was a collector. I then became a dealer in them when prices started going through the roof. This was mostly due to PCGS when they started their registry sets. I've owned almost 75% of all of the top pops at some point in time. I sold a set I had about 50% complete years ago as well. If the pictures in my recyle bin on my computer could only talk... With most of my sales, I know where most of the hundreds of coins I've sold have gone. Right now I'm in the process of buying the ULDS coins back from those colloectors at premiums. Originally I found them mostly on the internet. Now I'm back to being a collector and registry set builder. I'm still buying and selling as well. There are really no "great" stories behind the coins. A few of them I paid under $50 for...

Ebay? I'm on ebay almost 24/7 cherrypicking... you beat me to it? :) O, Here's another one in my set, a 1922 VAM 2C Extra hair. Here's the description:
This remarkable coin has 3 errors on it. The first error, the die break, is in its final stage of 8 stages for this variety. Note on the neck a small die chip along the die crack coming from the large break in the hair. There are 3 die breaks on this example including the large break, the one above it which is connected to the large break by a die crack and a third, a small die chip, just left of the 2nd break connected as well by a die crack. The second error on the coin is a strike thru on the chin. Finally, a large occluded gas bubble is present going from the 'D' in 'GOD' down between the '1' and '9' in the date. This coin is simply one-of-a-kind. Sorry can't post a link to my PCGS Registry set because I'm not at 100 posts yet. But it's called "The ULDS collection". I'm like 22nd.

Looks to be one in this set: http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/all...aspx?s=15279

But what about the 1924 VAM 8a? :) Description after picture..

This VAM 8A is in an ULDS and possibly the only one known to exist. For later die states of this variety there are 3 distinct 'blobs', of which, the bottom two blobs are connected by a die crack. Once you go to a very LDS coin, you will see that this die crack disappears and is filled in with metal. This ultimately creates just two large die breaks as we see in this example. This coin, however, carries it a couple steps further. Note to the right of the bottom die break there is an additional large die break coming from it. This is not found on very late die state coins. Although it looks like a continuation of the strand of hair coming from the left, it is not. All you need to do is compare it to a normal 1924 die. Also note from that extra extension that there is a die crack coming from it that connects to the very top of the entire die break. Finally, if you follow the die crack down from the lowest large break you'll see a small die chip. Although hard to see in the obverse picture, this die crack runs half way down the neck.

Very nice 1c. Here's a side by side on them. Your pic is more on an angle so a more flat pic may be in order. Left side of my break looks more like a mouse than yours...


The 24 5a you have is nice (63) but the lower break doesn't go past the Eagle's feather as in this photo. I have one like it, maybe a little later in 64 that I'll most likely add to my set. I'm not sure yet. Anytime I find something problem free that is a later die state, I just upgrade the set. For me it's a lot of fun.