GoldFinger1969

I'll check it out, Zad, maybe I missed it. Although I usually click immediately.

It was a recent article, I think I linked to it in anothe thread...but I am sure it wasn't David Tripp, it was CoinWEEK writers. Tripp only seems to write on the Weitzman 1933 Saint. He's a 1-trick pony.

Here's a CoinWEEK article from 2012 which goes into the UHRs and ranks them. Interesting comments about the coin above and some others as well as the gradeflation that hit the series: 2012 CoinWEEK Article on 1907 UHRs

Back to the OP....2 UHRs sold within 4 months this year.....wonder if more will shake loose.....there's around 19 of these patterns/coins. I know some ultra-rich collectors own them, you wonder if some more modest "only millionaires" somehow inherited a few of them on the cheap. I think more than the 1927-D these coins are likely to be in the hands of non-collectors, folks like Weitzman (1933 Saint owner). I just put the PR68 (or 69, not sure) UHR on my smartphone lock screen....on a small screen, with lots of pixels, the picture is out of this world !

Yup, every book reads top-to-bottom.

Suing is a bit extreme IMO, Kurt. You couldn't possibly think that would go over well. I don't know what your avatar was but I'm not sure that editing a picture on the internet for non-commercial purposes is a violation of copyright law. Selfies are not considered exclusive use I would think. No, I am not a lawyer but I would think common sense would prevail.

If you are having a problem with a smartphone or work login 2nd account....and let them know that in advance....I would think they would be OK with that. If a 2nd account is used to evade/avoid a suspension or banning, then their hardball tactics would kick-in. Usually, there's no reason for a 2nd account. But if you have a problem with cookies or something and need it on a smartphone or at work distinct from a home login, that shouldn't be a problem for the mods. Just be upfront with them and I find them very reasonable. Same as here at NGC.

I am not 100% sure....but if you created a 2nd CT account to avoid a suspension or banning, then they would care. If you have a CT login at home and a 2nd one at work, I'm not sure they would care about that. It's if it was to evade a suspension/ban that I would think they care about.

Here's some normal books......

Did Liberty Eagles or Saint Eagles ($10 gold coins) have edge lettering ?

Mistyped....I meant the lack of gold/silver was the reason the greenbacks were not embraced by the public. Thanks, Roger !

Yes, I believe with the SS Central America that the insurance companies which paid out 100+ years ago got a small %. Or their successor companies.

Fascinating...one of the tidbits I am sure you mentioned in the book but which I glossed over and/or never wrote down....so it was the lack of gold (or silver) that was the reason for the term greenbacks. No wonder Gold and Silver Certificates were then highly used.....the convenience of paper, the backing of precious metals. Got it !

I thought that the term "greenbacks" during the Civil War was used derisively. It seems like in the span of a few years (maybe a decade) most of the American public got used to having trust/faith in the dollar/paper currency which I guess was NOT the same pre-Civil War.

I'm going to scan the Internet a bit, sorry if I confused anybody here.

Zad, if the lettering can be read when the Obverse is face-up.....they are calling that Inverted Edge Lettering. To me, it's NOT "inverted" because it is NOT upside-down -- we can read it on the coin. Normal Edge Lettering is when the Reverse is face-up...and then the letters "E Pluribus Unum" are upside down. Since I/we don't read letters upside down, I don't understand why letters in their normal position are called "inverted" and upside-down they are called "normal." Maybe it's in RoAC (which is at the top of my to-buy list) as Roger implied. Must have something to do with the die striking or something, because I thought it was a simple answer and it seems more complicated.

I know. There are actually money managers who are basically The Firm when it comes to decision-making. They have really junior people, very young, not much experience and minimal credentials....helping them. Again, it's not a problem because we'll lose money if the guy croaks, but if he or she does.....then we can't keep the money there if we like their investment style. A good example of a succession plan is Al Frank, a former newsletter writer who died years ago, having a much younger guy as his right-hand man running things alongside him. When Frank died, the assistant took over and the firm has survived and even thrived. I always thought it strange that neither of Madoff's sons, nor any other relative, worked alongside him. THAT is unheard of in the business -- you don't have your family members in the mail room or taking phone calls.

You mean everyday commerce (buying stuff at the store, getting paid, businesses used it, etc.) ? So the $5 bill and the $5 gold half-eagle both were in healthy competition I take it. How about the quarter eagle ($2.50) -- not as much usage ? Guess if you needed $2.50 it was easier to hold than 2 single bills and a 50 cent piece or 2 quarters.

Fascinating, thanks Roger. The book covers so much about gold and gold coin movement, especially during the 1920's, which was so interesting to read.

Were Eagles used to settle international trading and gold accounts ? How low in denomination would they go in those bags going South of the Border or over to Europe -- Half-Eagles ? Smaller ? I'm going to guess if they used anything other than Double Eagles it was Eagles -- smaller than that, not worth it to fill a bag.

Any information on this hoard ? Links ?

Not really.....we got pestered all the time by some clients to admit him so they could probably invest with him through the Private Bank. We had 3 guys with MBAs scouting them and then the PMs like me (with CFAs) reviewing that. Ultimately, we couldn't figure out HOW Madoff made his money (is he buying small caps or large caps ? We needed to know) and he had no succession plan, with only him managing the entiere account (what happens if he gets hit by a bus ? Who takes over ?). Had we even elected to take him on, I have to think that him self-clearing would have been a huge red flag. That's the tell-tale signal of a fraud. You always want your statements/trades to be done under the supervision of a big Wall Street firm like JP Morgan Chase or Morgan Stanley or Goldman Sachs. They are on the hook then if there's any fraud.

I believe anything you say on coins is fair game. Criticize the coin, not the person is their motto. However, as you do tend to talk/write in a unique prose it may pay to get to the point directly and keep it short-and-sweet, post-wise. Not everybody appreciates your writing style like Yours Truly. I belong to 2 sites, this one and CT. I don't post at CU/PCGS.....some interesting threads, but I get the feeling newbies and posts/threads asking questions are not as welcome. Also, don't see as much interest/posts on the coins I have interest in. I scan them over there....a classic thread on (Franklin) Gradeflation and one on the 1933 Saints that had Roy Langbord enter, but not that many others that would cause me to sign up. I find the NGC Forum great for stuff on Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles, as you can tell from the 34-pages-and-counting thread, thanks largely to all the posters including author RWB. The Newbie section here seems to have gotten very active (or maybe it always was, and I never noticed) and the US/World/Ancient section has some great threads, too, besides the SG DE thread. Dena seems very helpful and Dave Lange has some great posts and informative threads he started. The counterfeit articles/threads posted by NGC Mods are also great. I was away a while after the big layout switch (I couldn't find anything !) but now find it pretty easy to navigate. Still think the Search Function could be better....not sure how far back threads/posts go here but would like to be able to bring up any thread title with "Saint Gaudens" or either word...and see all the threads going back 10 or more years on 1 or 2 or 3 pages, tops.

My firm actually vetted managers and we had Madoff on our list. We never used him.

That's true .....all UHR's are Proofs.....I wonder if PCGS will correct that. I believe other PCGS-graded UHRs have the PF designation.