VAMworld Decorum

Welcome to VAMworld!
Enter all ye who seek knowledge!
Welcome to our friendly little forum. VAMworld is the most up to date, comprehensive repository of information on Morgan and Peace Dollar Die Varieties available on the world wide web.
First, a little history about the site. On July 21, 2006, VAMWworld was announced to the world. This site was created by VAM enthusiasts who wanted to share their knowledge and their love of the hobby. In March of 2007, the Society of Silver Dollar Collectors acquired Leroy Van Allen's permission to use his work and to post plate photos and descriptions on the site. Because the site was established as a "Wiki", the content grows and grows. It is this unique feature of mass collaboration that underpins the growth and community we call VAMworld. The idea that this site evolves with fresh contributors is core to its success. No, we're not going to lock it down and restrict edits to a vetted group. We all watch and improve the quality in the Wiki environment and mass collaboration has tremendous power.
We come here to share our knowledge and learn about VAMs. Whether you are a seasoned VAMmer or a new collector, you are welcomed and encouraged to participate in discussions, to post questions or to answer them!
Please don't send PMs to "All VAMworld members" we don't need the spam.
This is a site that is meant to encourage the VAM hobby, explore coins and welcome newbies. It will try to be a nurturing environment that encourages people to participate, and participate in a positive way. This is a membership site, and if you can't play nice, you don't need to post or play here. Thanks.
We have very few rules here, but they are important to maintain this forum as a fun place to come to talk coins and share knowledge.
Rule 1: Have fun! VAM collecting is a great way to collect Morgan and Peace Dollars. Once you’ve been bitten by the VAM bug, there’s no turning back!
Rule 2: Share. Once you get comfortable with your experience, don't be afraid to jump into a thread and try to help! You will get a great deal of free education here. Be sure to give back! You will find the exercise very beneficial and gain greater knowledge through it!
Rule 3: Ask questions. Really. Its the best way to learn. But before you ask, use the search feature because your question may have already been answered before! Also, try to attribute your coin first. Study the features, read the descriptions. You may discover an innate ability to attribute VAMs! Take the time to read the tutorials on the home page. Very dedicated and knowledgeable VAMmers have spent a great deal of time putting together these tutorials (that they have graciously posted here for free) to help new VAMmers learn the hobby. These tutorials are incredible resources. Use them!
Rule 4: Post pictures. We will all try to help you with your questions or attribute your coin. However, we can't do much on a verbal description. Please, post a picture! Uploading and posting pictures is easy. There is a photo tutorial at the top of the discussion page.
Speaking of pictures, we have thousands of images loaded on this page. This could make attribution harder as we may lose valuable photos. Please, when posting pictures, try to assign a unique name. If someone loads a picture to a Wiki with the same name as an existing picture, the original picture gets overwritten. We recommend doing the following: "Your name/initials-the date-year-mintmark-obv/rev-specific attribute (ie, johndoe1888o_obv-stars-1") (avoid spaces in file name)
Rule 5: One thread per coin or question. Sometimes a newer member will try to start a thread where the picture does not load. So he starts a new thread... and it doesn't work again... so he starts a third. If this happens to you, please just try to repost in the same thread. Why, you ask? Its simple. For each new thread, an older one gets bumped off the top page. Another member's question may get lost in the shuffle if you post three threads with red x's.
Rule 6: Be nice! VAMworld has become a very close-knit community. Many here have made very good friendships among the members. We enjoy the camaraderie, the friendship and the free sharing of knowledge. Please remember that everyone here is a volunteer. We are here because we enjoy the hobby and talking about coins. Be polite and use discretion. Remember, there are ladies and young numismatists that frequent the discussion boards. Please, no swearing or coarse or vulgar language. We don’t want to see any flame wars. The site is about VAMs and debates about coins are fine, but please, don’t get personal and don’t get mean. Posts should be about VAMs and coins, not the people on the site, or the way you want them to act. If you don't like a question/post, let it go. The site is moderated and if a thread gets out of hand it will be locked or deleted and the violators may be suspended or lose their posting privileges entirely.
Rule 7: Welcome others! We all had to start somewhere. Not everyone advances at the same rate or has amazing VAM abilities. Tolerate those basic questions, even if someone could find the information on the site.
Rule 8: No selling on the discussion boards. The discussion boards are to be used to ask questions, get confirmation of your attribution, share knowledge or have general discussions. Please do not post links to active auction or auction house, eBay sales, private websites, etc. selling coins. We have a Buy-Sell-Trade discussion board where you can post this information or even ask the value of your VAM. If you see commercial activity on the main message board, don't harass the poster. Drop a note to the moderator and it will be cleaned up. That keeps ill-will from developing between members and encourages overall good behavior.
Rule 9: Be gracious! Please remember that the folks here are all volunteers. We have some of the top VAM collectors in the hobby here, and even third party grading service attribution experts who volunteer their time and help others attribute their coins. Please be patient when you post a query. When someone is able to answer or help they will. When they do, please remember to thank them.
Rule 10: Contribute any way you can to improve the site. VAMworld has grown to be the premiere VAM site on the web and one of the best numismatic websites around because the members contribute every day to make it better. Members have written and posted attribution guides to help other collectors. Other members have uploaded information or links to increase the database of VAM knowledge available here. You may not be the best at attributing VAMs, but you have the ability to contribute by improving the layout of pages. We can all contribute in some way or another. Please take the time to give back, whether its answering questions on discussion threads, writing attribution guides, writing programs, creating new pages or posting new pictures. VAMworld grows because we all add to it. You don't need permission to post or edit pages. Everyone can contribute!
'Rule 11': Please don't send PMs to "All VAMworld members" we don't need the spam. Use the message board if you seek to be heard. It is very inappropriate to use the bulk PM feature to advertise.
Rule 12: One account per person. If you need to change you name, Wikispaces allows you to rename yourself. If you think you need an exception, please email the moderator. Anyone discovered with multiple accounts will loose their posting / editing privileges.
Rule 13: Don't cite the rules. Let the moderators deal with things. If you have a concern or question about a post, ask the [moderators via private message]. They will deal with it.
Rule 14: Please do not post links to current auctions on the BST Board unless they are your listings.It is unfair to others who have spent the time hunting. Links to counterfeit coins are acceptable.
Rule 15: Do not post personal contact information (phone numbers, e-mail addresses, physical addresses) in the message boards. These are visible to everyone, not just members of VAMWorld. Use the private message mechanism for exchanging this information.