VAM Rarity Question

I agree with you there OZ here's an experp
Rarity scale. The rarity scale identifies how likely you are to encounter the listed VAM "in the wild".
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)
One note of caution. Do not rely solely on the Interest and Rarity numbers. They are meant to be a guide and are not 100% accurate in estimating either interest from the public or the rarity of the VAM (although they are certainly better than nothing). In other words, don't just buy it because it's an R-5. Likewise, the population reports from the TPGs are to be used as a guide for population of given VAMs, but are not 100% accurate

it takes time and study to learn what has been discovered easy/hard to find. its a guide based as terry has shown, on the assumption later state dies should not produce a lot of coins, it doeswnt mean they can't produce a thousand..

Alan and Zeewool I think would get along well or the house would burn down. He is very analytical, as well as devoted too set things right as far as the pairing. The work he did on the 1902-O was great, and the 04 work I am sure will just as solid. As a few of us know he can be short from time too time. I have talked with him on the phone he is a very nice guy.

I fall into I think it's neat profile. The (R) rating means little too me. I do look at the (I) rating and now know only about 30% of what I like is above a 4

I have definded this wrong Zee, you and I are the users who are looking at the scale..those who have been collecting already know whether the coin is readily available or not...that was my meaning, and why we can't rely on the scale

Russ, Alan is an engineer, a comedian of epic proportion, and a true collector. I have the highest respect for him. He was gone from the forum for an extended period of time, and a black hole existed in his absence. I've nothing but good crap to say about that character.

Okay, that does it. This calls for a toast to Alan. I am going to open a cold bottle of Boones Farm, and be back tomorrow. Later guys !

Is that the 'same' one that you've been saving for over a year now? I'll bet it doesn't even have a cap on it. Sounds really appealing. I'm going to make it up to Montana someday, under the premise of a buffalo hunting or seal cub clubbing (or what ever you guys do way up there) expedition. You better find that cap before I get there Gene, or there's going to be trouble..........

That was part of the OP's original statement / question. I am not sure that we gave any factual or speculative replies to that. Let me start now, several months later.....

I view the 1921 as a totally different breed from the 1878-1904.


With the end of WWI in 1918, the price of silver rose significantly, and it became far more profitable for the government to melt down silver dollars and sell the silver abroad. Hence the Pitman Act of 1918. Three hundred and seventy million silver dollars were melted and sold abroad as bullion. Plans for the Peace (victory dollar) were put on the back burner. The Treasury still had plenty of silver dollars in vaults to handle national demand, or so it thought.

In 1921 however, silver prices abruptly fell, more government legislation ensued, and silver dollars were required to be back in production big time at the mints.


The rest of this is pure speculation on my part:

No time to finish the design of the Peace dollar, the old Morgan could be modified and hubbing of new dies could be completed much faster, while completion of the Peace design continued simultaneously. The 1921 die production began at a break neck speed, with a ridiculous number of dies being produced in no time.

One consequence of rapid die production is the compression of steps resulting in quality degradation. Dies didn't last too long, so more pairs had to be used.

(3 pairs at 60,000 coins per pair = 3 common vams) (30 pairs at 7,000 coins per pair = 30 scarce vams). I just made those figures up for purposes of hypothetical example.

https://goccf.com/t/59981#469356

The sale to Great Britain was above market value, resulting in profit to the government. The Pittman Act also authorized the repurchase of a similar amount of freshly-mined silver, again above market, resulting in a subsidy to silver mining concerns. This repurchase was the driving force behind the production of so many 1921 Morgans.