GoldFinger1969

Bitcoin ETFs approved....let's see if it's already in the price of the coin.

On 12/28/2023 at 9:47 PM, VKurtB said:

Gee, when I see stuff like this I wonder whether one of two things happened. 1) The legalities of being an auction house became onerous, or 2) Laura just got tired of hearing “no”. We know Laura Sperber has a history of getting butthurt and quitting things when things get less than easy.  She summarily quit 1) being present at ANA Board of Governors meetings when the Board started voting against her motions, 2) she quit a much ballyhooed merger with Morphy  auctions of Pennsylvania because Morphy wouldn’t submit to Laura’s insanity, and 3) now this.   Laura is simply unstable...and a functional illiterate. 

Stop beating around the bush and tell us how you REALLY feel, Kurt !! 

On 12/14/2023 at 7:25 PM, Sandon said:

I purchased this 1891-O Morgan dollar uncertified from a June 2000 Goldberg auction, where it was graded MS 63 and noted as having an unusually good strike for an 1891-O, which is notorious for most surviving pieces being poorly struck. This coin is remarkable for having nearly full hair details over Liberty's ear and clear feathers on the eagle's breast. 

A discussion on another forum talked about how one looks for "wear" or "friction" on high points.  It was also noted that a "poor strike" can be when the die isn't filled with metal (for whatever reason, I don't believe any were given though maybe it's covered in FMTM) and that the metal doesn't reach/fill the high points on the coin.

The washed-out look can then look like it is discolored relative to what the rest of the coin looks like.  Or something like that; I think that's how the discussion went. 

Do you believe this has elements of truth to it, even if not 100% explanatory about why some legitimately MS coins might appear AUish ?  And do you think this applies to Morgans ?

I do know that in an EXTREME example, if the striking force doesn't import enough tonnage and/or if you don't strike the coin enough times, the coin will look mushy and the details look mishapen.  That's an extreme example and wouldn't pass quality control but I just cited it as an example.

I'm hoping my 2024 is much better than my 2023. 

That's weird....why do the registry thing and NOT make them publicly viewable ?  Isn't the whole reason for doing the registry bit competition....show others your collection...etc. ? 

On 12/18/2023 at 5:12 PM, Coinbuf said:

Something that many who poo-poo the CAC sticker don't realize is just how valuable that sticker can be in helping many collectors to not buy over graded and doctored coins; not everyone has the time or ability to become an expert grader.    Perhaps you know how to identify every single doctored coin in a straight graded TPG holder, but you would be a very rare individual as many, myself included, cannot every time.   The fact that there are coins with surface issues out in the marketplace is exactly why a second opinion has value.   If your doctor told you tomorrow that you were going to die in two weeks from some rare disease, would you just accept that as gospel or would you want a second confirming opinion.    I think that most would choose to have a second opinion before they start picking out a casket, CAC is that second opinion.

I agree....but it now appears (I could be wrong here but don't think I am) that the CAC sticker on PCGS and NGC coins means that the coin was appropriate for the grade (A or B coin stickered) but is NOT guaranteed to cross at the same grade into CACG.

Huge debate over ATS and somewhat at CAC Forums about coins going from MS to AU with the whole "rub" and "wear" debates.  You have 1 of the 3 big TPGs doing a 180 from market to techincal grading and it's causing some angst. 

A bigtime collector over ATS noted that "PCGS has recently started calling certain of the HRs 'SP' because they are different- they are struck with the UHR collar..."

Not sure how long this has been going on, and I know this was covered in Roger's books.  Anybody got any thoughts on this ?  What is the importance of the UHR collar -- that's the metal that wraps around the coin, right ?  Why would it matter in terms of apperance and why would it enter the proof debate (I realize the UHR collar was part of the striking of UHRs, which ARE proofs) ?

On 12/18/2023 at 5:12 PM, Coinbuf said:

One of the reasons that JA has stated he wanted to start a CAC grading service was to cut some of the expense for average collectors.   Before CACG you had to send to TPG XYZ, then send to CAC stickering (assuming you want the sticker), CACG is meant to be a one stop shop where you can have your coins graded to the same standards as CAC stickering without the extra shipping costs and risk of loss..

Is this legit, CB ?  Unless someone is going to get hundreds or thousands of coins graded and seek CAC beans how much are we talking about -- especially relative to the value of the collection itself ?

I thought -- and maybe I'm wrong -- that people SELECTIVELY sought CAC stickers for a few coins here or there.  And if someone had a pricey collection, wouldn't grading costs and/or CAC stickering be a rounding error compared to the collection itself (or are grading/stickering costs also tied to the values of the coins) ?

Technical analysis is more for trading (short-term) and identifying tops and bottoms.  You can use it for intermediate and long-term forecasting but that's where fundamentals come into play.

OTOH, you can't use fundementals for short-term trading.  As Keynes said, "the market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent." 

On 1/9/2024 at 3:09 PM, VKurtB said:

That would assume that drawing lines on charts was not complete and utter voodoo, which it is. Yes, I said it. Technical analysis is bunk and voodoo. Every time ANY Wall Street firm does technical analysis on ANYTHING, they lose my respect. 

It matters because people THINK it matters.  Most relevant to currency traders.  Ever hear of Robert Prechter ?  Had the pulse of the stock market in the 1980's like few ever did with some esoteric TA called Elliot Wave Analysis.

On 12/19/2023 at 11:08 PM, ldhair said:

My goal is to sell much of my collection. I hope to replace quantity with quality as much as possible. 

I've thought that could be an issue for many collectors who've been at it for decades.  My friend has 3 closets full of coins !!

I guess that's the good thing about mostly focusing on bullion, Morgans, and Saints:  I can't buy too many of them !! 

On 1/9/2024 at 5:32 PM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

I do not do anything at CoinTalk.  I spend most of my time at PCGS, some time here, and I lurk at CAC (never signed up).  I like the idea of MyCollect, but it has not manifested in the way it was intended.  I have nothing against any coin chat site.  It's the contributors that either make it or ruin it IMO. 

I find that every site has different strengths.  Ditto the CAC Forum.

For me, this is probably the best place because of the volume of information I have here on the RWB Saint-Gaudens Book Thread.  Many of you have contributed valuable posts there, including of course Roger.  It's irreplaceable, which is why I have saved it on my own PC every 5 pages or so. 

Good stuff elsewhere, especially from the veterans with decades of experience on grading standards, MS vs. AU, Friction vs. Rub vs. Wear vs. Cabinet Friction etc.....and other similar debates.  Though I have no interest in Franklin Halfs, that Franklin Gradeflation Thread at CU was great.

On 1/9/2024 at 9:10 PM, EagleRJO said:

If I am providing an opinion I always check if it a retread as the op is likely long gone.  

The search function here to check for topics is not the most user-friendly.  Unless I created a thread or was active in posting multiple times, I might not recall its existence.

I recall a major site change/upgrade about 2014 (?) here and lots of useful threads didn't make it, as I recall.

Some very useful stuff in older threads, like the JA/CAC interview with Maurice Rosen from 2008.

Oppenheimer Technical View for Gold in 2024:

I want to get back to FUN 2025. 

I'd like to add some coins and some currency notes. 

I'd LOVE to get an MCMVII HR, but that is probably a few years off.  I'll settle for adding a top-notch 1908 No Motto Wells Fargo in MS-66 (MAYBE a 67). 

On 1/8/2024 at 10:47 PM, ldhair said:

CT is healthy with about 68,000 members but I'm sure only a fraction of those members are active.  

Any idea for numbers at CU, here, or CAC ?

On 1/7/2024 at 11:09 PM, Henri Charriere said:

Well, I tell you, you're making it very difficult for me to rule out going to a show at least once in my lifetime.

The photos taken by Flying Al are incredibly beautiful!

Thank you @RWB for sharing this with the membership here.  

We should ALL go and meet one another (some of us have done that already).  I think it would be very beneficial for many of us to see the faces attached to the type ! 

Family & other considerations prevented me from going this year, much to my disappointment.  I desperately plan on going to FUN 2025 as it will be 5 years since my last and only FUN Conference.  One day, I'd love to do a presentation if they would let me.

OMG, is that MCMVII HR beautiful !!!!      

On 1/6/2024 at 3:41 PM, ldhair said:

I have owned them for about 30 something years. I'm still at FUN and can't get to my records but I don't have that much in them. I didn't see the print when it went to PCI. It started to show over the years. The spots on the 1914 were very minor when I bought it. They grew much darker over the years. I'll probably send them to auction with the rest of my set of matte proofs.

Thanks all for confirming my thoughts. I'll just save the conservation fees and let someone else deal with it. 

It's frustrating to see coins change.  Had my first one change on me.....a PL Morgan....like creeping black fungus around the edge on both the obverse and reverse.

120 years and nothing...including probably 15-20 or more in a holder......and THEN it changes.  WTF....

On 12/10/2023 at 12:32 PM, zadok said:

...ok, Richard Boone is turning over in his grave now...

I never heard or saw that show until a few months ago.....runs on MeTV.....guess it was pretty popular in the late-1950's/early-1960's.  

Those Westerns had damn good writing and you saw ALL your favorite future TV/Movie stars in them, too.  I never saw these in re-runs growing up in the 1970's for the most part.

LD, do you own these or are considering buying them ?

What did you pay for them if you own them and what are they worth if you could somehow get them back to their original, un-stained condition ?

On 1/5/2024 at 11:30 AM, World Colonial said:

If you don't like these indexes, take a look at the Korea ETF.  It's lower now vs. 16 years ago and yes obviously, I know it's paid some dividends.  Since Korea earnings are higher now versus then, why is this ETF lower?

Because it's heavily weighted towards Samsung, APPL introduced the iPhone, and it's top-heavy in large-cap technology.

Comparing an ETF which doesn't represent the index (KOSPI) doesn't make sense.

On 1/5/2024 at 11:08 AM, World Colonial said:

Belief in "fundamentals" is a form of EMH.  There is no evidence that stocks or any financial assets are valued from "fundamentals".  Everyone just assumes it.

Then what drives the price ?  What would cause YOU to buy stocks ?

On 1/5/2024 at 10:51 PM, Henri Charriere said:

🐓:  I know of no one, "mad scientist" or not, who would dare tamper with these vintage, much-vaunted proof cents.  I do not know how old the 'prints are, but, relying on the standard eight points of identification, believe they belonged to Henrietta ""Hetty" Howland Robinson Green, better known as "The Witch of Wall Street," the richest woman in America at the turn of the century, circa 1901, who amassed a fortune of $100 million ($2.5 B in today's dollars). One of her sons owned one of the 1913 Liberty Head nickels; another lost his leg when he was denied entry to a charity hospital when his miserly mother adamantly refused to have him admitted to a private hospital in NYC.

You think those coins once belonged to Hetty Green ?

If someone is selling them as proofs, not knowing their provenance, then they could be worth purchasing based on the lineage of ownership alone.

But I wonder how one would trace these to the Colonel and his mother. 

I'll await the experts and semi-experts, but to this novice it is post-mint damage.

The quarter is worth $0.25.