VAM Locales: Current Pricing & Rarity Designations/Origins

The Market decides the actual value of a VAM. A guide is produced annually by Logan McKechnie (VAMS and More) and is sold on his website. It's a compilation of known sales from all sources (private, ebay, Heritage, etc.). It's far from complete, but is the only resource currently available.

Users of the Price Guide should read and understand the introduction Logan provides. It's a "guide" and not a definitive price sheet. It represents a snapshot in time that may not hold up today. Five years ago the hobby had interest and those interested had funds. There's still the interest, but the funding piece has diminished.

Bottom line ... your VAM is worth what the buyer is willing to pay for it. Ultra-rarities, top-pop VAMS, perennial favorites ( VAM 44 and Hot Lips for example) seem to weather the storm better than others.

I'm with SeatedNut here. The perennial favorites do seem to hold their price and interest. Of course, who decides which VAM is a perennial favorite is generally up to the buyer. Otherwise, the prices listed in the only VAM retail guide mentioned above are a wish-list in my opinion. I could list many examples that sell for 25% to 50% of the values listed in the price guide. It is all about what interests one, and what funds another interested one has. I know of a lot of folks that won't even talk selling or trades if the seller pulls out the price guide. All that being said, the retail price guide is all there is. I would prefer a publication that lists prices realized, but that info can be had in the auction archives on the various on-line auction houses if one wants to put in the time to research.

I think of it this way, of all the Vammers I know (which is a lot), only one makes a sole living at cherry picking and selling. And I don't think that person will be retiring at a beach resort when the time comes. Almost all Vammers in the hobby to make money have day jobs.