Back to VAMs

[Kissov]

Hello all. I am back to VAMs after many years away.

This site is an outstanding resource and thanks to all for the obvious hard work that has gone into making and maintaining it.

I have a couple of questions to help ease my way back into VAMs:

1) My VAM reference library consists of a well-worn copy of The Comprehensive Catalog (Fourth Edition) and "The VAM Keys" from 1997. While VAMWorld is a given, what other printed/digital references do you think are necessary, helpful, or just plain nice to have?

2) The quality of the photography on this site is exceptional. What hardware is typically used? USB microscopes? Stereoscopes? DSLR cameras?

3) I am amazed at the proliferation of 1921 cracks, scribbles, etc. Is there a good point of departure to get a handle on all of this complexity?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[...kenny]

Start at around 9 minutes into the video and I rattle off some books of choice! Welcome Back!...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQti-0zzBkc

I use a USB digital microscope for close ups and DSLR for full coin shots...kenny

[messydesk]

Hello all. I am back to VAMs after many years away.

This site is an outstanding resource and thanks to all for the obvious hard work that has gone into making and maintaining it.

I'm glad you like the site and find it useful.

I have a couple of questions to help ease my way back into VAMs:

1) My VAM reference library consists of a well-worn copy of The Comprehensive Catalog (Fourth Edition) and "The VAM Keys" from 1997. While VAMWorld is a given, what other printed/digital references do you think are necessary, helpful, or just plain nice to have?

No more recent version of the VAM book have been released, but Leroy Van Allen has published annual supplements that have photos and descriptions of new discoveries. While most of the pictures in these have found their way to VAMWorld, many have not. Leroy has another book called "Wonders of Morgan Dollars," which I give out to summer seminar students of the Morgan dollar class. It goes through Morgan dollar history and presents every known type of variety, showing how they came to be and giving best-in-class examples of each. Another book that's really good to have is Roger Burdette's From Mine to Mint, which goes through lots of history of the mint, evolution of their manufacturing processes, general insight into how everything works, and plenty of documentation in the form of mint correspondence and internal documents.

2) The quality of the photography on this site is exceptional. What hardware is typically used? USB microscopes? Stereoscopes? DSLR cameras?

You'll get many answers for this. I use a DSLR with either a 100 or 200 mm macro lens for my full-coin shots. For microscopic stuff, I use a point-and-shoot camera hand-held through the eyepiece of a stereoscope, and have done tens of thousands of pictures this way. I could get better microscopic stuff with a camera mounted to a scope, or using a microscope objective mounted to my DSLR with a bellows, but my setup seems optimal for my workflow and requirements at the moment.

3) I am amazed at the proliferation of 1921 cracks, scribbles, etc. Is there a good point of departure to get a handle on all of this complexity?

Thanks in advance for any help.

@DHalladay is our 1921 addict here. If you find these interesting, there are good "launch points" for doing attribution. Start with determining the reverse hub (D1 or D2) and then decide whether you want to look at the scribbles or cracks. There are guides under 1921 that are broken down by both. From there, it's a brute force slog through the many listings.

[Raybob15239]

I recommend Crae Morton's Scribbles Guide as well. I am just recently back after an 8 year absence. I am thrilled that VW is still here and flourishing. I do miss some of the old guard, though.

[colwillys]

Welcome back
The Morgan vams kept growing but The Darkside exploded .. Now you have to check the direction you wish
to take .. I like the Peace dollars .. The best part is to have FUN and enjoy the people and the VAMs .

[shortnock]

welcome back to the thrill.

[Kissov]

Thanks all for the great information.

Looks like I have some reading to do...