GoldFinger1969

On 1/22/2024 at 11:58 AM, numisport said:

Just completed my questionnaire for a Federal jury trial summons. I don't know how I could possibly keep a straight face during a federal trial knowing how deep the swamp really is ! What a joke. I've been called several times and have sat one local trial for State crimes but that is different I feel. I just don't think I could sit in front of a group of fruadsters at my expence just to render an opinion that is meaninless.

If you want to get out of Jury Duty, just take Homer Simpsons' advice :

From what I have seen, he's clearly not trying to counterfeit -- his coins are like those round tokens that are given out at all kinds of venues, some plastic... some wood....some metal..

Not my cup of tea, but I think we have more evil criminals out there to worry about.  

On 1/21/2024 at 5:13 PM, RWB said:

It took a couple of months to locate the data in my database, and about 3 weeks (overlapping research) to write and edit. I guess locating data took maybe 3 hours; correlating about 20 hours; verifying another 2 hours; rechecking database another hour; writing and editing abut 10 hours. Obviously, this was done as time was available with thought and reconsideration in between. However, my database goes back 20+ years and is fully searchable. If it had to be done from scratch, the basics would have taken every day for many months --- and there'd be a lot of gaps.

I have taken to saving interesting articles on coins in PDF format or cutting-and-pasting into Word and saving it that way.  

I've done that for Heritage Auction commentaries on Saints and other trophy coins....and internet articles/legal mumbo-jumbo on the 1933 Double Eagle. 

You're right about having to organize the stuff.  My 1933 Word piece containing all kinds of articles and relevant and not-so-relevant articles was over 320 pages at one point ...but cutting out dupes, eliminating excess spaces, etc....I've since cut it down to about 270.  

It might pay to save stuff you KNOW you will use in Word or PDF format -- as opposed to stuff you may just find interesting and/or fear it might depart the Internet or some database and not be retrievable again -- because then you can use the FIND feature to look it up. 

The workload for your Saints book must have been astronomical compared to 1 small 2-page article in CoinWeek. 

Those of you reading this, consider this for anything of interest TO YOU, too.  This site underwent a major renovation over a decade ago I believe -- some threads and posts may have been lost, or just more difficult to find.  You never know when a Thread or post will be locked or deleted, a website gets a DOS attack, the entire company folds up, etc.  If it's critical or unique information here or elsewhere, save it to YOUR PC !! 

On 1/21/2024 at 1:21 PM, RWB said:

Yeah....well, that sounds like a nom de plume, or maybe a nom de nom.

(This was prepared by popular request. Took quite a while to find and correlate all the pieces, then craft a clear story line so it would be easy to read.)

I love "fill-in-the-blank" articles or books that go into more depth and detail on something we just have surface knowledge about (i.e, gold ownersip prohibited).  Hope you write more about these.  For me, stuff from the 1900's onward is more my interest but I get how some people like stuff about the 1700's and 1800's.

Just curious....any idea how long it took you to do the article, both on the research gathering/double-checking...and then the actual writing of the article ?  Myself, I find that about 10-20% of the time is spent on writing and re-writing and trimming, cutting, re-wording, etc....and the other 80-90% was the actual gathering of the facts, outline, footnotes, etc.

Your article was well-written.  An article can interest me...it can have interesting ideas....but if it is poorly-written or laid-out, it can defeat the whole purpose and make reading it a chore. 

Same thing with speakers, of whom I have booked many:  I've seen boring, confusing topics done top-notch and keep an audience on the edge of their seat....I've had great topics I thought would be of interest with simple easy-to-understand facts and slides...and people doze off because the presenter is a bad speaker, all over the place, and doesn't have a good layout of his or her material.

On 11/11/2023 at 11:05 AM, numisport said:

Very nice collection of DCarr Peace Dollar overstrikes and appears to have nearly all (if not all) die pir offered. Do you own these coins ? 

For the uninformed....so he specializes in re-creating old favorites with minor changes (so as not to be accused of counterfeiting, I take it) -- do I have that right ?

I'm really not that familiar with Dcarr's works, though we have sparred on other issues ATS.  I'm pretty much agnostic on what he does.

Are his works considered commemoratives ?  I would think not.

They're not NCLT, but I do really like some of the private-issue creations like the National Park Foundation Saint-Gaudens coins, silver and gold.  Kind of nice to see ASG's various designs and sketches come to life.

On 1/16/2024 at 9:58 AM, Just Bob said:

I imagine everyone who buys gold and silver as an investment is looking for that. Whether they will see it is debatable.

But I think most of us aren't looking at gold or silver as "investments" -- we enjoy the hobby but do keep track of the underlying PM prices because many of the coins we like/buy are directly tied to the metals.

If somebody I knew said they wanted to buy an MS-65 Saint (common) for one of their grandkids and said they had the $$$ now but might also just get it for them in 10 or 15 years, I would probably tell them that the coin will cost alot more then since it tends to move along with gold bullion.  Not so with more numismatic Saints or coins.

Is there anything to the registry game that I am unaware of, aside from completing the task and the competition that I see with points tabulated ?

Are there prizes or anything ?

duplicate

On 1/20/2024 at 10:39 AM, RWB said:

Here are my buying criteria. They are likely very different than those of others.  1^st – Is the coin special in some way relating to numismatic research? 2^nd – Is it unique or readily available?  3^rd – Is it of superior quality with respect to the features that make it a research subject, or supporting evidence. 4^th – Cost to acquire. Is this possible?  5^th – Is it likely to increase in value or should it be disposed of quickly?

HAVE you bought any coins that met those criteria lately ?

If not, what coin would you like to buy that meets them ?

Whip Inflation Now (WIN):  Apologies to Gerald Ford and Arthur Burns , but I came across an interesting tidbit while scanning Aker's 1907-33 Gold Book.

At the time, the book said that PCGS and NGC had certified only 3 coins from the 1909-D Saint series as MS-67.   I then checked the current population census, expecting to see a nice increase in the 15 years since the dated information appeared in the book.....NO increase !!  2 PCGS, 1 NGC. 

NGC has 6 MS-65's and 1 MS-66; PCGS has 25 in MS-65 and 4 MS-66's and another 3 MS-66+.  Nice to see time hasn't led to any gradeflations in this series.  Maybe the absolute low number there made it harder to increase the total over time, unlike a larger population.

Obviously, depends on the premium to numismatic value and the total cost I am paying. 

I bought a common Saint at FUN 2020 after a few minutes of perusing.  I think it sold for spot bullion.  Was looking at buying an AGE and figured "why not?" in buying a common Saint in MS-63.  No downside price-wise.

OTOH, I spent YEARS researching the 1923-D while saving up for the coin.  At FUN 2020, I probably looked at a dozen or so 1923-D's...and waited 2 days to pull the trigger on the 1923-D.  Probably 4-5 trips to the coin dealers who had the coins I narrowed my final choices down to.  Probably spent 1-2 hours looking at all the coins before finally taking out the Benjamins. 

On 12/10/2023 at 11:11 AM, BillJones said:

This was a bigger problem in the 1950s and than it is today. 

You would think with all the technology -- laser etching, etc. -- that went into the production of the 2009 UHR that the problem (?) of die polishing lines would not be present on ANY of the coins.

I wonder if a few just snuck through out of the 100,000 or so that were made or if a significant number got them.  Also, do they stand out or do you have to angle the coin in the light the right way to see 'em ?

When you have finished it, a short summary and your thoughts would be great !!  I've done that for some of the gold books I have read, doing it now for Bower's Whitman Red Book on MSDs. 

On 1/18/2024 at 6:38 PM, gmarguli said:

This is a common fallacy. Nice / high end coins for the grade always brought a premium price. CAC slaps a sticker on a coin and it sell for 120% of generic. CAC supporters point to it as the CAC sticker brings a premium. Fact is, the coin might have sold for 120% generic without the sticker.  Auction archives are littered with examples of nice coins selling for way more than generic prices and there is no sticker anywhere to be found! 

There's an element of truth in what you are saying. 

But since no 2 coins are EXACTLY alike, you really need to find 2 nearly-idential coins....selling at the same time...on the same platform.....one with CAC the other without....and then see where the coins sell for.  Sometimes you can find them at the same auction site at the same time with/without the CAC stickers. 

But it's rare.

On 1/17/2024 at 5:08 PM, Coinbuf said:

Still early in the game, two years from now will be the time to look at premiums and volume of coins on sites like ebay, GC, FB and others.  

And of course HA and SB. 

What do YOU think happens given your veteran experience, CB ?   I heard that Laura S. is going all-out for CACG holders after basically equating PCGS+CAC as being the Bible for years.

Where do you think the Trophy Coins end up and their collectors as well ? 

On 1/17/2024 at 4:33 PM, gmarguli said:

I'm looking for these big premiums and can't seem to find them. Most of the stuff for sale in their slabs is garbage coins. Lots of moderns and stuff that didn't need to be slabbed in the first place like common MS63 Morgans and MS64 Mercury dimes. Moderns seem to be selling at a discount. Overpriced common stuff seems to not be selling.  US Coins for sale on eBay right now: NGC: 61,000+ PCGS: 54,000+ ANACS:  0,000+ ICG: 8,700+ CACG - 373  SEGS: 160 ICCS (Canadian TPG): 128 Accugrade: 29

Most people are saying you should see 20-25% premiums to the price guides (~ PCGS/NGC) just like PCGS+CAC.

On 1/16/2024 at 11:42 AM, dcarr said:

Biden wants to hire 87,000 IRS agents. They would produce nothing useful, they would only take from the economy. If a transaction-fee digital currency was in place, the tax system would be fair, simple, and there would be no cheating. Most of the IRS would no longer be needed. Those 87,000 IRS agents would have to get jobs elsewhere actually producing useful goods and services. And everyone else would benefit from not having to fill out tax forms. That would be a much better system. But you sound scared of such a thing.

We don't need more IRS agents.  We're still using systems built in the 1980's.  They need to upgrade and implement AI.

Every other private corporation downsizes and has people to shed because of increased efficiency -- but NOT the Federal, State, or Local governments.  I'm sure unions have nothing to do with it !! 

There are hundreds of billions of lost tax revenues from increased audit efficiency....going after tax cheats....hitting the underground economy.

I might be OK with a national consumtion/sales/VAT tax....IF it were limited to a number that was very low and required a supermajority of both Houses to raise.  Maybe cut/eliminate other taxes as an offset.  Sales and income taxes started low....now they are obscene (i.e., CA and NYS).

On 1/15/2024 at 10:29 PM, dcarr said:

For example a digital currency issued by the US Treasury. Use of this currency would have a small transaction fee (like a credit card) and those fees would replace the income tax system. Imagine never having to file a tax return again.

Coinage and currency are part of a country's history.  You would end this.  A digital currency also has NO privacy.

On 1/15/2024 at 10:29 PM, dcarr said:

Prior to about 1913 there was no income tax. The Federal Government was funded via small fees on bank checks, insurance policies, stocks, bonds, and other financial documents. It worked well, but the banks and Wall Street were successful at taking the tax collection off of themselves and put it onto the general public instead.

Most of the revenues came from tariffs.  The other taxes you cite were practically nonexistent.  You want us to believe that banks and Wall Street were behind the implentation of the 16th Amendment ?  Please.......

In fact, the backers of the 16th Amendment were largely agrarian populists, Westerners, and farmers....the William Jennings Bryan crowd...and it was opposed by the East Coast bankers and Wall Street.

On 1/15/2024 at 10:29 PM, dcarr said:

North Dakota has the right idea. They established a state-run bank for the benefit of the people, and proceeds from those bank activities go towards paying the state's bills.

It's a tiny bank that would rank about 500th or so nationwide.  It represents a low-density state...largley farming and mining.....with no major urban areas....a profile that would not work in more than another 10 states, tops, if that.  It has only 1 or 2 branches...very limited products for consumers....and pays very low rates of interest historically.

No different than Alaska setting up the Permanent Fund with oil revenues.  And North Dakota probably has common-sense individuals ACROSS the political spectrum and the dominant party and sentiment there probably skews to common sense and an understanding of banking, finance, and economics.  That won't work in New York City or even NY State.  

Most large cities and states are de facto banks by their huge flotations of bonds and other municipal financing mechanisms.  Many are headed for a day of reckoning, too.  Imagine the problems they'd get into running a bank.....DSA members ?  Socialists ?  Redistributionists ?  

I smell another Teamsters CSPF moment ! 

On 1/15/2024 at 6:43 PM, dcarr said:

You make your living with the financial and monetary systems the way they are now. So naturally you would feel threatened by any major change to how these systems work. There are far better (and more equitable) ways for these things to function, but you would have none of it.

Right, a system that works 99.9% well for the majority of Americans is good enough for me.   I don't want to walk off a cliff and hope that unlike Wile E. Coyote I stay elevated on pie-in-the-sky promises that might look good on paper but don't work in the real world.

Most Americans have their assets and make their living within "the financial and monetary system the way they are now."   That includes YOU, Dcarr !! 

On 1/15/2024 at 9:39 AM, zadok said:

...there was nothing misleading in that particular column, it was mostly reflections n comments, but u always need to ask urself what is the underlying reason for any column...just as u need to ask urself why certain individuals always need to take negative swipes at everyone else besides themselves...we all know the answer, but u need to keep reminding urself of the reasons....

Oh, I have no illusions based on his economic and political philosophies.....hyperbole tends to be the gold bugs stock-in-trade.  I see them on other forums and while they are nice people, they cry about banking cartels and control of the Fed etc. etc. etc. 

Blumert did write some good post-bubble stuff after the markets imploded in 1980 and 1990.

As far as their concerns about government spending or the prohibition against gold ownership -- I'm right there with them.  But on implementation of a gold standard or getting rid of banks or the Fed or BitCoin or digital currencies replacing sales and income taxes.....

I think I used my sodium coins with my meatloaf when the salt shaker ran dry ! 

JP Morgan's Commodities Strategist Natasha Kaneva, in BARRON'S a few issues back, is looking for $2,300 for gold in 2024 and $30 silver. 

On 1/13/2024 at 2:38 PM, RWB said:

He was also a pernicious liar and fraud. Much of the quoted section is invention and distortion, and the rest is false. He and his ilk sold emotional trauma and insecurity; the same breed of honesty thug proliferate on-line and in phony "news" sites.

Like I said, he WAS a gold bug !! 

Did you ever meet him ?

What part(s) of the column are definitively false/misleading, in your opinion ?  Some of the experiences he relates seem to be his personal situation so it's tough to doubt him.  The rest seems consistent with U.S. gold policy until the law was changed on December 31, 1974.