VAMWorld 2.0

Fantastic story and one to be shared. Adventure and exploration is what drives the human spirit. Absolutely! This is the kind of story other collectors and hobby publications love to have! Please write your thoughts and recollections, possibly including specific coins. Having had personal contact w...

UNCLE BINGO wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 02, 2023 3:05 am

Scott , don't let this forum wear you out . Please take care of yourself . and thank you !

"Please take care of yourself ... and thank you !" Absolutely !

The OP's question might have wanted the answer "axial lighting." That's a way to produce the greatest definition in relief - but only if accurately done.

I feel that LateDateMorganGuy has the right idea but is missing the core concept: the materials to attract, interest, and develop don't exist. Neither do the follow-up approaches and simplified hand-on guidance. One cannot merely point a beginner to an obscure, dated booklet and then expect then to ...

Morganman and Vampicker mention some good points. Now....how about acting on them?

The ZEISS Visioner 1 uses image stacking as mentioned earlier, except they automate the process. It can produce nice images, but will give you no information about design relief.

You can also use a visual microscope with calibrated micrometer focus capability. With correct use, and some practice this can give you very good estimates of relief differences between points on a coin. The operation is simple: At high magnification accurate focus is critical. The difference betwee...

Thanks! Will keep trying.

RE: The sample page. Notice that for 1896 were were 4 obverse and 2 reverse proof dies used. How does that compare with accepted varieties? There were also 48 obv & rev dies from the Philadelphia Mint. Can those match known varieties?

Keilg1 - it's also about communicating ideas to increase engagement and improve what is already present. VAMpires can easily use this forum to offer suggestion and then discuss their merits, constraints and implementation. Everyone was once a beginner -- a trite but true statement -- what attracted ...

In checking through Record Group 104 Entry 6 at the archives it appears that these volumes are good sources for die information. This includes quantities and control numbers of dies sent and dates sent, dies used, dies destroyed and proof coin dies. There is nothing about pieces struck from each pai...

My comment was more generic than specific. As an outsider to VAMs, I see so much knowledge, information, skills and possibility among experienced members. Yet, together almost nothing is done to understand and respond to potential new enthusiasts....or to capture and stimulate those who venture to t...

Rather than pointing fingers of blame at one another, try working together to simplify the "VAM experience" and improving response to potential new members? Use your collective knowledge to prepare and market (not 'sell') materials and options that will interest new collectors, and respond to their ...

You need to use a 3D optical profilometer, not a regular camera.

Nice ones start at about $50,000 and go up from there.

Keyence 3D profilometer

There is no such thing as a "Zerbe 1921 proof." All the ones given that "title" are proof-like, made on a normal toggle press. I have not had the opportunity to carefully examine a "Chapman proof," although I saw one in an NGC display a few years ago. These coins were described as "not proof, but ev...

Several TPGs have a tendency to "coinfuse" or ignore facts when it comes to satin and sandblast proofs. Several ordinary strikes have been certifies as "proof" because they were sandblasted -- even though they lack required detail and/or mechanical indicators. The coin in question is nice but the re...

RE: "It's frustrating to watch investments go to crap because of some incompetent goings on at the mint..." Your frustration is reasonable and well understood. It's disappointing to open the bank box and find spots on gold and silver pieces that we thought were well protected. I have no empirical d...

RE: "It's sad that Mercantii and the boys did not take this lesson from George Morgan, but I guess they are too busy writing books and selling signatures for some TPG labels to care about stuff like that." Planchet preparation was done by the Coining Dept, not Engraving. So those referred to were no...

Thanks JB. It's strange that they were perfect until I changed them to their present holders. Scientific research into this was done more than 10 years ago and published. Alloy mixing has no bearing on spots. Surface spots are nearly always the result of airborne contamination. Each time a planchet...

Leave stuff in the ORIGINAL capsules (if any). Every exposure to air greatly increases the opportunity for spotting of all types. How to get rid of this has been mentioned many times. Check older posts.

Collars were very durable - far more than dies and many other parts. But when they cracked or broke, they immediately fell apart. Therefore, the box of junk you saw. This stuff was usually sold to steel scrap dealers although counterfeiters might have bought them to copy authentic reeding.