coinman_23885

Not PL. It's definitely polished. And I say that as someone who has owned designated PL bust coinage and examined several more.

I'm disappointed. I was hoping it would match the green on CAC stickers to allow for maximum color coordination.

On 7/18/2021 at 8:27 PM, VKurtB said:

Even more than monetary policy, there is a great deal of evidence that the thing that debases currencies the most is war.

What is the mechanism? Inflation as the price of goods increase secondary to materials being diverted for war efforts?

I would return it without reservation.

Flip it as is and buy another. Alternatively crack it out and bathe it in acetone. If you wait too long, the coin will not be salvageable. 

PCGS really has loosened considerably over the last 10-15 years. I think part of the reason for the increased populations could be more incentive to create coins for the PCGS registry (which appears to have more active participants), but I don't think that alone explains all of the increase. 

On 7/14/2021 at 8:56 PM, comicdonna said:

The problem is, people haven't been using change due to the coronavirus.  Many stores ect are requiring credit cards only, or in some cases, exact change.  When I went to the self checkout today, there was a lady saying credit cards only.  No cash.  If change isn't circulating, it's not ending up in banks.

I agree with this. I don't think it is intentionally being hoarded. Post pandemic, much of it will re-enter circulation.

On 7/18/2021 at 9:05 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

@coinman_23885

One unassailable fact...

The member you are chastising has 21 followers.

How many do you have?

The defense rests.  🐓

I don't really know or care. I'd rather not be stalked. 

On 7/18/2021 at 4:53 PM, VKurtB said:

I QUOTED the government head counsel in the Langbord case as describing RWB as a “clown and an embarrassment”. I happen to agree. My first encounter with RWB was regarding the Langbord case. But I have had a few interactions with him since. I believe counsel underestimated the problem. His comments regarding cats alone are enough to make me find him repulsive, and I do. My wife rescues cats.

The post was immaterial to the subject of that particular thread and was intended to harass a member that you don’t like largely because of his opinions with regards to counterfeiting laws. Your attempts to bully and ridicule forum members won’t get you very far.

On 7/18/2021 at 4:53 PM, VKurtB said:

My jury service was in the precise same federal courtroom as the Langbord case, many years prior, and I convinced 11 other jurors the government had no case except on one charge.  That’s the way the jury system is SUPPOSED TO WORK. Most people need to be instructed on the meaning of “reasonable doubt”. The charge from former Lt. Gov. Raymond Broderick (the trial judge) made CLEAR the conspiracy charges needed to fall, and that led to the acquittals.

Then why the mention of jury nullification in the same paragraph or even the same post? Don’t play coy.

On 7/18/2021 at 4:53 PM, VKurtB said:

I consider two federal judges in the Eastern District of PA, and one in the Western, to be personal friends,

For some one with “litigation” experience, you certainly lose focus and don’t seem to understand what is germane and what is wholly irrelevant. Your “friend” list or who you might brown nose are irrelevant to the thread.

On 7/18/2021 at 4:53 PM, VKurtB said:

 

and I served multiple years (8 to be exact) on the staff of the Chairman of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. I have personally WRITTEN portions of at least 20 amendments to Title 18, the Pennsylvania Crimes Code.

i personally LITIGATE Election Code cases to disqualify candidates from ballots.

The latter sounds perilously close to unauthorized practice of law especially if you are purportedly acting in a governmental or quasi governmental capacity. That is unless by “litigate” you basically mean administrative work like typing pleadings and cover letters to the clerk of court for the lawyers who are doing the real litigation. I don’t think most of us would consider that litigation.

The other possibility is pro se lawsuits. Except for narrow challenges in the district where you would reside, you would lack standing to challenge the majority of candidates state wise for other districts.  In other words, litigation potential would likely be quite limited.

On 7/18/2021 at 4:53 PM, VKurtB said:

Oh yes, and the ethics of the way virtually ALL major coin auction houses conduct themselves is scandalous at least, and quasi-criminal at most. It IS criminal in my old home state. No. Seller. May. Shill. Bid. EVER!

There you go again. Objection; relevance? How do Legend, Stacks-Bowers, or Heritage and their alleged selling practices relate to a dealer conducting a  private sale on eBay complaining about a bidder trying to renegotiate a sale?

On 7/18/2021 at 3:17 PM, VKurtB said:

I agree with this proposition. But what do you say to people like former “dealer of the year” and now frequent author Patrick Heller who repeatedly writes that governments and money should be utterly separated? Yes, I think it’s an insane idea too,  but he’s not kidding, and deadly serious, and he has enough of a positive reputation to be all over Numismatic News’ pages for what seems like decades.

I think there should be open discussions about monetary policy. If a change is needed, it should be effected through legislation.

FWIW, I wouldn’t have prosecuted Von Nothaus if I was the prosecutor as I don’t and didn’t see him as a threat even though I think he is in violation of the law. I do think the policy behind government monopoly of money is sound. The purpose of my post was to point out that executive pardons usually require pretty compelling reasons as the remedy is sparing used in a relative sense. Arguing with sound government policy isn’t going to go very far. Accepting responsibility and acknowledging mistake  while acknowledging the need for discussions about monetary policy are likely to be more fruitful. Of course even then the risk is real that it will fall on deaf ears.

On 7/18/2021 at 3:01 PM, VKurtB said:

My wife wanted out. So why do you feel a need to incessantly troll me?

Pennsylvania law had nothing to do with this thread nor did the rest of your diatribe. You obviously wanted to discuss it, so I indulged. This is also not the first thread you’ve derailed with your self absorbed tirades, and you have been the one trolling:

1.  You compared at least two other posters to terrorists and violent criminals for disagreeing with you regarding a convicted felon all while bragging about how you basically helped Bill Cosby two meth dealers from the jury box. Pennsylvania law/legal system is pretty darn great huh?

2. You referred to an esteemed forum member as a clown and trashed his academic works (RWB). That particular member has  contributed far more to this hobby than anything you’ve done. So far your claim to fame has been as an administrative assistant to an obscure state legislator purportedly on a subcommittee on Pennsylvania election law. We all saw (regardless of political persuasion) what a cluster Pennsylvania’s election system is.

3. You implied and trashed Sperber and coin auction houses.

4. You made a reference to fondness for white sheets and Alabama juries. The insinuation is obvious. It’s nice to see you slander your neighbors on coin forums.

5.  You were  already booted from one other coin forum for your chicanery. It takes a lot to anger Peter (Coin Talk), but even he showed you the boot.

6. You plainly violate forum rules by being political. 

So I’m the one who is trolling? 👌

On 7/18/2021 at 8:03 AM, World Colonial said:

Anyone who confuses a liberty dollar for USD is a insufficiently_thoughtful_person.  @VKurtB stated it above I believe and I agree with him.  It's not anyone else's obligation to protect a insufficiently_thoughtful_person from their own ignorance or stupidity and this has nothing to do with me being a collector, as even non-collectors should be able to notice such an obvious difference.

The best explanation for why he was charged is that the US government won't tolerate any challenge to their monopoly and used that woman attempting to deposit her "coins" as an excuse to do it.

In other words, my explanation is that he was charged with a political crime, not a real one.

The government didn’t need an excuse. While one of the theories was based on him attempting  to circulate his currency, another was based purely on similarity in motifs, legends, inscriptions, etc., to U.S. coins.  Whether the similarity was sufficient to violate the statute is a question for a jury or judge sitting as a fact finder. (Ironically I would have ruled against the government with respect to the similarity argument.) He had his due process and lost  that issue. That is the risk various individuals take when they attempt to play coin god and strike their own coinage.

As for the law, the Constitution plainly grants Congress the power to establish weights and measures, coin money, regulate value thereof, regulate commerce, punish counterfeiting, and all implied powers necessary to effect those enumerated powers. Even the states are barred from producing their own coins/currency. Most of these provisions are reactions to problems that arose under the Articles of Confederation where multiple states/entities performing governmental functions created chaos and arguably instability. The federal government has used its powers to establish a monopoly (logical given that coining money has historically been a governmental function) to provide stability to one national currency to facilitate commerce. The government has enacted laws using these powers which Von Nothaus violated. He was very much convicted of a “real” crime.

On 7/13/2021 at 12:32 PM, VKurtB said:

None of these unethical behaviors would EVER have occurred to this native Pennsylvanian. Auction ethics is a key part of my state's culture. We are DEADLY SERIOUS about ethical auction behavior. People go to prison for breaking our highly detailed auction laws. Tens of thousands of private homes are sold via public auction (with no realtor involvement whatsoever) in the Keystone State every year. It's why major coin auction firms are not in Pennsylvania and even Legend's Laura Sperber disbanded her partnership with a PA firm. Bidding up your own stuff, aka shill bidding (as S-B and Heritage often do) is a criminal act in Pennsylvania. Maybe that's why most of my ANA show auction winning bids were in Philly in 2012 and 2018. Pittsburgh 2023, here I come!

But then, here I am in Alabama, and I can't even find ONE decent auction of coins.

If Pennsylvania is so great, why did you leave it?

Too bad you can’t make an $86 dollar adjustment (upwards of course) and tell him that it went too cheap just to see his reaction…

It also doesn’t follow logically that the federal government believes that the verdict was erroneous. It has admitted no such thing nor has there been a change in position. It returned the items to keep the people who purchased his wares from losing their money without remedy. Most counterfeiters aren’t as prolific he was.

 The government could  also reasonably believe his wares to be of low risk of abuse or fraud in light of the publicity the trial generated. The government didn’t like competition in striking coinage. It decided to stop him. Mission accomplished. He is no longer violating the law, arguably suggesting that conviction has continuing deterrent value.

I never said that there was a prerequisite as the President has broad discretion in deciding to grant pardons. The Constitution only excepts cases of impeachment. Most presidential pardons in practice, however, are managed by the pardon attorney who will evaluate each petition for the merits of clemency. One of the factors considered is remorse and acceptance of responsibility. 

“The blind are obviously not required to see.”

You are the one who said you were going to be an advocate for him. If you cannot even respond with an articulate response that addresses the considerations/concerns raised in this thread, how are you going to “help” him obtain a pardon?

It is within the government’s discretion. Check out 18 USC 489.

I also haven’t seen where he accepted responsibility and remorse for his actions either. He was only given a slap on the wrist. I see no injustice or reason for clemency. It’s not like the colonial days when counterfeiting was a capital offense.

He had his due process. He plainly violated the law. The statute violated and the policy behind it are sound, serving legitimate government interests. There weren’t any extenuating circumstances. 

Why would any president care to pardon him? 

There is no thread on the topic ATS. I wonder if the subject matter is taboo there.

Congratulations!

On 6/7/2021 at 3:14 PM, gmarguli said:

I did not know that. Every Board member that voted that way should lose their seat and be permanently banned from the ANA. 

Notably RWB only referenced one of Carr's productions, and it was seemingly one of the most benign ones. The ANA's letter response did not claim his pieces were not counterfeit; it took the easy route and said he hadn't been convicted of counterfeiting or criminal behavior as of that time.  That dodges the issue completely. The letter does nothing to purport to legitimate his pieces as is often suggested by various posters of various message boards.  I agree that the those members should lose their seats. Moreover, since the ANA doesn't even care whether the statute it helped promoted (i.e. the HPA) is enforced, it should lose its charter.

He will be missed. He has truly made efforts to reach out to collectors and improve PCGS.