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 Replies: 13 / Views: 2,098 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
709 Posts |
A dominant theme I see repeated is wanting something for little or nothing, both in terms of price and time to learn.
With the advent of the internet, the medium is more the message rather than the context.
Vamming can be a very rewarding pursuit. It is cutting edge numismatics, but it tends to be geared to a more advanced collector.
That does not mean a new collector can not enjoy the hobby. However it does mean the new collector is more prone to make mistakes and in this hobby, mistakes cost money.
To be sucessful it is imperative the new collector learn to grade accurately. To be able to discern if a coin is cleaned, whizzed, has artificial toning, is polished, is counterfeit, has altered dates, altered mint marks, has altered surfaces, has environemental damage and can tell the difference between a coin that is lightly circulated and one that is not. I can not emphasize this enough.
Vamming is a comparitve hobby in that to understand die sequencing, die markers, it takes many of the same coin to be looked at in side by side comparisons.
The new collector should take some time to consider what to collect and make that their focus. This does not mean you can't buy what you want, but it does mean being more selective.
Study.
Read as much as you can about the subject. Familiarize yourself with what you want to collect.
Ask questions. Thankfully this site is geared to the new collector in trying to answer the questions we all have.
There are many here willing to help. Edited by Ozland
01/24/2011 10:10 pm
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Valued Member
United States
175 Posts |
Thanks for the slow down you're right. I need not buy another Coin until I learn if a coin has been polished etc...,unless its from ya'lls auctions. At least that way I'll have a legitimate coin in hand to use for comparison. I ordered the VAM book. Thanks for the reality check. Edited by rlcbj59
01/27/2011 06:23 am
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Valued Member
United States
175 Posts |
I'm gonna try to get a couple of SuperDave's from ebay so I have coin in hand to start comparing to the VAM pictures & I'll have a better idea of what I'm looking at, I'm much better hands on. Also I get an Idea of what I should look to pay for A VAM coin, understandably the price depends on the VAM & condition of the coin. Edited by rlcbj59
01/27/2011 08:29 am
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
709 Posts |
All of us started at the beginning just like you have. All of us have made mistakes. Some more than others but none of us were exempted from making them. All of us here at CCF want the membership to enjoy their respective hobbies. We are here to help answer questions. So if you have a question, start a new topic and if I can answer the question, I will. Best wishes to you in your journey of collecting Morgan dollars. |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
If you're going to bid on one of my auctions, rlcbj59, keep in mind what those coins are actually worth. I'm rarely so lucky that one of my offerings gets bid over market value - that only seems to happen to poorly-represented stuff which people want to take a chance on. Don't overpay just because it's me. Anything over $30 for any of the Morgans I have listed is probably too much, even the VAM-26 which is readily available in much higher grades.
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Valued Member
United States
175 Posts |
Thanks for the advice Ozland & Dave. I probably would have bid higher just to get the VAM 26 because it's a real VAM. I'm learning patience. After reading various threads I don't trust anything on e-bay unless it's members auctions. How do I find out when members have auctions on e-bay or here? I need to wait for my VAM book to get here & read, as advised, the 1st 4 chapters, then I'll have a better understanding of Vamming & be able to ask the right questions. I'm just not comfortable buying until I know more, even if it means I have to wait & save for the right Morgan. I want to be careful about this, I've got the bug & want to enjoy this to the fullest. I have not had a hobby that got me as excited as this one in a long time.  Edited by rlcbj59
01/27/2011 2:00 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4989 Posts |
A great rule for a new collector is to just buy cheap stuff. I've gotten some terrible deals on $30 and under coins but I don't really care much since a $10 mistake is a whole lot better than a $1000 one and making a small error is a GREAT learning experience since it lights a fire under you to figure out why the coin was bad.
Where people get into HUGE trouble is on expensive key date coins. All it takes is one counterfeit 1893-S Morgan to wipe out a decent sized savings account. For those issues, I think it is best just to buy slabbed from a reputable national dealer with a strong return policy.
Edited by fenton
01/27/2011 2:11 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3592 Posts |
I'll second that on the return policy. It can save you headaches and is the first thing I look for when on ebay. 7 day return policy is a must for me. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3076 Posts |
I am happy to see such candor here on this site......HONESTY....I know a friend of family relations. that makes a great living on ebay due to the "point spread" of the coin grading system...it can mean HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS...Between grades,and as "grading is subjective"...I MUST POINT OUT Oz's responds....while we concentrate on the VAM..."THE GRADE"...is where the money is...for any coin or VAM... "UNDERSTANDING" grading is FOREMOST...in this hobby of collecting any coin... |
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Valued Member
United States
220 Posts |
I would offer the following.
Find a niche that interests you. Meaning, find a sub-set of VAMs that you find really cool, and concentrate on that sub-set. There are over 5000 VAMs listed as far as I know, so the amount of different VAMs, and trying to find your way through them all can, and will be intimidating.
I agree, start small. I started with trying to assemble a list of "micro O" VAMs. When I started, there were a total of 8 in a Micro O collection. (Yes, there are many more now toi my chagrin). I then moved on to Clashed E reverse VAMs. Not that many more in a collection, but several are "stoppers". But that is where the fun came in.
I learned more about Vamming trying to complete the Clashed E Reverse series than anything.
Find something you like in a sub-set collection that is achieveable, then go for it.
I hear SuperDave is a 21 guru. Wonder how that happened?:)
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
It happened because I realized almost immediately that the field was far too broad for me to ever inspect every single blade of grass. It doesn't matter where you specialize - you can always change your mind - but unless you have the money to collect sand with a dump truck you're darn well gonna have to collect it by the grain.
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Valued Member
United States
175 Posts |
5000 VAMS, ok, now I have an even better understanding of it.I was assuming I needed to buy as many VAMs from every year as possible, impossible, now I have to pick a type I can afford and go for it & see where it takes me. as a beginner I am now starting to realize that there are far to many Morgans for me to ever collect, Dave your explanation of it put it in perfect context.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
709 Posts |
That is why it is important to collect what you like and find interesting. Lots of variety with Morgan dollars. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3076 Posts |
like the last coin you were thinking of buying..I2 R5. is a COMMON VAM unless that you KNOW there are few known for that VAM listing..don't buy unless you have researched not only the VAM but the GRADE, most are raw on ebay...SO if you don't know how to grade...WAIT, and listen and observe......Times have changed......the grading has also changed......I feel, to protect the graded coins already assigned by the TPG's.....and to control the prices.......all ready assigned prices....what would happen if 1 roll or 2 rolls of 1901 shifted eagles From Grandpa's stash came into the market place? there are many a VAM available in ebay and your local coin shop....take the time to gain knowledge and research what you may like to collect....JUST BECUASE ITS A VAM...and they all are../ doesn't mean buy the world.....CHOOSE what you think is interesting, no one can doubt what glitters your eye's...and enjoy.....it is a smorgesbourge....BEAUTY has always been in the eye of the beholder... in every facet of collecting on any subject...toy's, trains and automobiles....what ever tickles your fancy...just do the research and KNOW what your investing in... |
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Replies: 13 / Views: 2,098 |
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Posted 01/27/2011 06:28 am
