Just Bob

A Hastings triplet lens is three lenses bonded together into one lens. It is supposed to be distortion free. It is often encountered in the style you mentioned, but can also be found in other configurations, like the one-eye jeweler's loupe that you see on TV.

If you decide to go go with a loupe, look for the words "Hastings triplet" in the description. You cannot go wrong with one of those.

I agree. That is not a coin. It is a piece of jewelry. It appears to have been gold plated and the plating has worn off in spots.

Tolerance is .13 grams, which puts the max weight at 3.24 grams. Assuming your scale is accurate, that makes your coin .01 grams overweight. Not enough to make it worth a premium.

I looked for his name, specifically, and noticed it was missing. Nor is Paul Cunningham's name on the list. Ditto Steven Alpert. And, of course, if it were to include those who have passed away, Rich Hartzog would surely have been included.

I wouldn't call Cooperstown,NY, Canton,OH or Springfield, MA major cities, and I think those Hall of Fame museums compare more closely to a specialized museum like the ANA's than a large museum like the Smithsonian. That being said, I don't really care where the museum is located. If I want to see it badly enough, I will make the trip. Other's - especially non-collectors - would obviously feel different. And, on the subject of the city of Colorado Springs: I have been there on three separate occasions. Aside from one motel that I would not recommend to house a dog, I liked the place, and would not consider it a "prairie dog" or "backwater" town. Just my opinion, of course.

Orvisburg is an obsolete lumber town that was established in 1888. The last of the mills closed in 1927, and the town died out. This view at Orvisburg looks east from the Champion lumber mill, and shows part of the town near the railroad depot. Not a single building is left today at this location. The only denomination listed in either Chatham's Mississippi book, or Terry Trantow's lumber company token book is the 10 cent. Not long ago, Steve Hayden (Civilwartokens.com) listed these other denominations, and I managed to land all but the 50 cent example.

Let me re-phrase my answer: You accused NGC of damaging your coin. Quote:"How many more coins will begin doing this before they find the cause in their grading or sealing machines?????" I believe the substance that caused the coin to tarnish was present on the coin when it arrived at the NGC building. Based on the fact that they have been encapsulating them for 20 years, and yours is the only coin with that look that has been posted on this forum, I think it is an isolated incident.

Ditto

That does not surprise me at all. It is a beautiful coin.

Welcome to the forum. My guess would be that whatever is causing the toning happened before the coin was encapsulated. If NGC's grading process or machines were causing it, I believe the problem would be more widespread.

NGC price guide lists a MS 63 (the lowest grade they have listed with a price) at $300, but Ebay sales indicate that circulated examples, which yours appears to be, sell in the $100-$150 price range. I think you would be better off selling it raw with good pictures. I would guess the grade as AU55.

FS numbers are numbers assigned by Bill Fivaz and J.T. Stanton in the "Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties," and denote doubled die varieties, repunched mintmarks, etc. Welcome to the forum.

Some kid saw one of those ads with the scissors that can cut through a Lincoln cent and decided to try it himself. So, he got some scissors out of the sewing box, and gave it a go. Then, he got his butt whipped for ruining Mom's best scissors. Then he was told, "It's okay. It was Mommy's fault for leaving the scissors where you could find them." Welcome to the forum, Carleigh.

From the Charter, Article 13, Section 4: "Elected Officials, Officers, Special Officers and key employees are prohibited from taking any action or doing any act that could jeopardize the Association's 501(c)(3) nonprofit status." So, yes, apparently it is set up that way.

It appears we may actually agree on this point. I personally see nothing wrong or odd with this scenario. The nicer coin should bring the nicer price, and the grade should not be adjusted to "fit" the price. I don't think the collector market requires TPGs to manipulate the grade to match the value. I think most educated collectors can figure it out for themselves. The dealer market may require it, (and from the posts that I have read on this forum, apparently they do) but that, in my opinion, is to the detriment of the hobby.

If it is, it has to be one of the worst attempts that I have ever seen.

Nope. This appears to be one of a "chain" of coins that were soldered together, possibly to make a piece of jewelry. It was broken apart from the "chain." It could have been something similar to the one below, although it appears to have been soldered edge-to-edge, instead of overlapping.

How do you know that this is the result of an experimental wash, and not just normal toning?

I would like to see a closer picture of the full obverse, if you don't mind.

I seriously wonder if you sometimes cringe before you post articles, knowing that you are almost certainly going to get a few sarcastic remarks - whatever the subject matter.

Well, you only have 517 posts. What can you expect?

The quality of internet photos is also highly variable. That can make it difficult to compare coins of the same grade.

Although you spoke to me, that quote was by brg5658.