USAuPzlBxBob

Tell us a little about this "coin." Were you searching for it, do the TPGs grade these things, can they be found without the hole-punch, what is its diameter, and what did it cost? To find one of these without the hole-punch… well, it would make a great poker-hand down-cards "cap."

Reading the article right now. "Wow," is all I can say! Happy my small gold coin collection was completed eight years ago.

In my U.S. Au type set, which is entirely housed in NGC holders, I have one of each of these gold types. My only complaint is that NGC’s holders are tri-pronged for these type coins — smaller gold dollars, in comparison, are four-pronged, as well as every other gold coin in the collection — and the tri-pronged holders have an imposing appearance which I’m not particularly fond of.

You guys were getting me worried for a few minutes here, throwing around NFT without me knowing what it stood for. Wondered if some of my investments were NFTs. Checked monthly statements; holdings are ETFs. NFT: Non-Fungible Token ETF: Exchange-Traded Fund

Doesn't matter to me, since my entire collection is already NGC graded and NGC encapsulated. But it does seem to be somewhat inopportune for NGC to be rolling out this "X" logo right on the heels of another "X" headline… a complete failure "X" headline.

One thing I really like is that the Registry >> My Competitive Sets ties into My Competitive Coins. Instead of clicking on My Competitive Sets, I like to click on My Competitive Coins instead, and then click on the "Default Sort" menu-box and change it to "Recently Added." Changing it to Recently Added has nothing to do with the last coin you entered into the registry. Instead, it is a sorting by "year manufactured" so that your coins sort by year, earliest-coin at the bottom and latest-coin at the top. This is the ideal way that I like to view my coins since they were collected with "at least one coin from each decade" in mind, and it matches my "decade" approach. N.B. I may be wrong about this… it may be that when I created My Competitive Set (Puzzle Box Gold), I may have entered the coins as earliest to most recent when I added the coins to my set… and that there is a coincidence to US manufacturing dates. Ali E: Can you comment on this? One interesting tidbit that I learned, because of this Recently Added sort, is that my earliest coin, an 1834 $5 Crosslet 4 Classic Head (at the bottom), showed its NGC Price Guide Value on the listing line, and so I clicked on it to see how the coin has been fluctuating in price. And for the number of years "looking back" I clicked on "All." What I found was there is no way the NGC Price Guide - Historical Price for this particular coin matches reality; even went over to PCGS to look at this coin's value going back around twenty years, and they don't show the exorbitant Historical Prices that NGC shows.

Just looked into how my Puzzle Box Gold type set has been faring of late, and it gained $400 in the last month. I'll take it!

The storage issues discussed here kept me busy for one whole winter. Although I only have gold coins, which really do not tarnish, I still wanted storage improvements since everything resides in a wooden puzzle box, and that puzzle box resides in a strongbox, and so on, and so on. I went with Coin Armour individual coin storage bags, and when the 14 coins of the collection, in their NGC holders, were then placed separately in the Coin Armour coin storage bags, and the bags were placed in the puzzle box, the end result was that everything looked like hell. But I didn't give up. I then found that by using a comic book size 9 1/2" x 13 3/4" Coin Armour storage bag, and with obsessive wrapping technique — folding and tucking — I could get the entire collection to fit into one comic book bag. The outcome is beautiful. Taut, translucent polyethylene Corrosion Intercept® containment with crisp/clever starting-and-ending-point folds. Hermetic due to the zipper seal. Think hospital corner bedsheet folding on steroids. Spent hours trying one idea after another. Very enjoyable in the dead of winter, drinking morning coffee, maybe even snow falling outside. Moreover, the entire puzzle box was then found to fit into one comic book size storage bag, too, with its own folding "puzzle" to solve, and its outcome was equally as beautiful. It's not all about the individual coins. Equally satisfying was working on their presentation, protection, inherent mystery, and the overall ingenuity of everything combined.

Uncle Bill… I think Ali E. got this taken care of. The funny thing is, no one seems to visit Custom Sets. I don't think I've experienced a single visitor in over eight months. (I only have one Custom Set.) My real issue these days is that it seems my Competitive Sets are occasionally updated when I view them, even though I'm logged in. I cannot be sure about this, because it takes careful monitoring and note taking. And there is always the chance that someone happens to view one of my Competitive Sets on or around when I have viewed any of my Competitive Sets. So, things are a work in progress to unearth the truth of what the View Counts reflect on Competitive Sets. One way to unearth the truth is to stagger your logged in views of your Competitive Sets so that there is nary a scant chance that someone might match your logged in viewings. Get enough of this kind of evidence data, and the truth will be revealed. Bob

For the S.S. Central America, Wikipedia mentions that it flew its flag upside down to signal its distress. One factual account of this seems to exist by "narrative license," deduced from testimony of the only surviving officer, James M. Frazer: “At about 12 o’clock at noon on Saturday a vessel hove in sight, which afterwards proved to be the brig Marine of Boston. We had had a signal of distress flying from daylight that morning, and the brig approached us, and passing round our stern, rounded to under our lee at about 2 o’clock P. M., or a little thereafter.” ~ deponent James M. Frazer, 2nd officer; Published: New York Times, September 23, 1857. Traditional maritime distress signaling had been to fly a flag upside down, one method among several available for signaling distress, i.e. blinking of lights, colors of lights used, distress-light arraying. The ship was in distress, flags get flown, from daylight that morning… Good enough for me.

Stop being so cheap. Get your coin reholdered.

Just beside myself. A piece of my heart is gone. An emptiness has set in.

"Y’all know me… y’know how I earn a livin’. I’ll catch this bird for ya, but it ain’t gonna be easy. Bad fish. Not like goin’ down to the pond and chasin’ bluegills or tommy-cods. This shark, swallow you whole. Shakin’, a lil’ tenderizin’, down you go."

What I like is the thread right below this thread — at the moment — is entitled, 1943-D Nickle DDO-1, and when I typed it in as written by "whomever," it revealed that that person didn't even accept the complimentary spellcheck available on all devices.

Although my small gold coin collection is complete, and has been complete for around seven years now, it wasn't until a few years ago that I decided to create an NGC Registry Type Set, and it has completely changed for the better how I view my coins and follow their price trajectories. I keep a Notes page on my computer, and update it constantly for the number of views received, and also for the change in $$. Just today, I checked the value of the collection and it had gone up $425. Really surprised me. What changed? When? How do I find out? Well, with the Registry Set, finding the answer is simple. You go to your Registry page, click Competitive Coins on the left, and click them, one by one, to open their pages. Then on the right side of each page you'll find NGC Price Guide Value, and click that. A new page will open, and then a window within the page will appear — NGC Price Guide - Historical Prices — and it will show if a recent price change occurred for your coin. The coin that changed in price for me on Monday August 29, 2022 happens to be the first gold coin I ever acquired. When I bought it, I didn't know about these boards, didn't know anything about gold coins, and the dealer clipped me for $1,040 over what NGC priced the coin at, at the time. But I liked the coin, and I kept it. It photographs more beautifully than any other coin I own. It's an 1881 CC United States $10 AU 53 Liberty Eagle. Just inspecting the graph for the coin in the Historical Prices window, and dragging my cursor along the price line with the time period selected as All, I found that a few months after buying it, its price fell another $160. Oblivious to all of this, I continued buying other coins for my collection, and a year later the coin almost doubled in price, getting me to break even. Last year in October (2021) the coin almost doubled in price yet again. It is on a price tear/bloom, of late. Gorgeous coin, in so many ways.

He was great in The Bridge on the River Kwai, too.

Reader Beware Although a few good posts occur in this thread, the vast majority of it is repetitive back and forth tripe. (4 pages of it; torturous, unending)

Here is what can be found on CU (ATS): Another theft? On Monday before I arrived I was told of another theft. This is the best story/rambling that I got but I can not confirm all of it. There was a theft of a case full of Rolex watches on Monday dealer day. The way that I heard it went (and again I can not confirm all of this) is that a couple of guys in apparent convention service T-shirts entered the bourse. They got a flat floor dolly with some empty cases and were going around. Sometimes dealers ask for an additional case or have an issue with a case and request a replacement. They went up to the dealers table and switched out the Rolex watches case on the dealers table with an empty case. I assume the dealer was not at the table and that they placed the Rolex watch case beneath an empty case on the dolly. They exited out a back-side door. I was told there was a convention person at the door but the people had apparent convention 'wear' on and so were not questioned when exiting with the apparent empty cases. Again this is the best story that I heard of how it happened but I can not confirm it.

It is a good idea to go through this comprehensive list of crime prevention before going to a show. Clearly the Rolex guys let their guard down when they all went on a lunch-break. They did not heed # 57. They should have left someone behind. However, clearly they were never expecting the brazenness of the theft that took place, and it was an ingenious nuance to theft in general. Who knows, arrests may be about to happen, and things are deliberately low key right now so as not to spook the thieves. (Law enforcement does not want to tip their hand.) Nothing new about the theft has appeared in the news for days, now. Security Tactics for Dealers Attending Coin Shows Dealers who participate in coin shows are potential targets of numismatic predators. The following tactics and practices provide dealers and their employees with a basic safety plan that will help reduce the chances of becoming a numismatic crime victim. 1. Take the time to learn about the show you will be attending and the area in which it is located. 2. Contact the bourse chairman to answer any additional questions such as location of loading and unloading areas. (Possible construction areas, road closings close to venue, etc.) 3. If traveling by personal car plan most direct route and determine any construction or choke points. (Contact State Police or State Transportation Department for this type of information) Identify any potential weather issues that would cause travel problems. Determine if there are any cellphone dead spots along your route. Always be alert to suspicious vehicles. 4. Travel with someone and let a family member know your route and estimated time of arrival. 5. Inventory coins and leave copy on home/office computer. (Downloading to a flash drive provides an additional layer of documentation.) 6. Upon arrival locate unloading area and make sure adequate security is in place while unloading (loading). Before exiting your vehicle look around for any suspicious persons, vehicles or activity. 7. Do not let cell phones distract you (Texting and talking) while loading and unloading. 8. Once you have unloaded do not park in a secluded parking lot or one that does not have adequate lighting after dark. 9. Always be alert to the surroundings when going to and from your vehicle. Do not use cell phone. 10. If you are arriving by air and taking a cab, shuttle or limousine to the show do not take your eyes off your bags until they are secured within the vehicle. In situations where you are using a shuttle stay at the rear until the last piece of luggage is loaded and then board. (Do not let any distraction cause you to take your eyes off of your bags.) 11. If possible keep the most valuable bag in your possession. 12. Do not advertise you are a coin dealer and going to the coin show. 13. When you get to the show and exit the vehicle be alert to the surroundings while your bags are being unloaded. (Do not let any distraction cause you take your eyes off of your bags.) 14. Once inside the show check-in and immediately put on your show credentials. 15. When you arrive at your table secure inventory behind table before you start arranging cases, lamps and chairs. DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING IN AISLE. 16. Identify who is on each side and behind you. 17. Do not let other dealers or early birds look at coins until set-up is complete. This will eliminate any distractions and maintains control of inventory. 18. Do not display more material than you can control. 19. Once set-up is complete take photos with your phone to document your presence at show. (Insurance and Law Enforcement purposes). 20. Take photos of individual cases. (Insurance and Law Enforcement purposes) 21. Use extra cases on backup table to secure additional inventory, money bags and invoices. 22. Do not keep cash, invoices, checkbooks or itemized inventory listing in same location. 23. Secure briefcases to backup table with cable locks. 24. If you occupy a corner table make sure back-up inventory cannot be reached by customers. 25. Look around and locate all exits emergency and non-emergency. Familiarize yourself with the entire room. 26. Fire Alarms – Know the protocol of the facility if a fire alarm is tripped and mandatory evacuation is required. (real or false) 27. Develop a mental plan of escape if an emergency arises that requires immediate evacuation of the bourse floor. 28. Keep a small LED flashlight within easy reach in case of power failure within the bourse floor. (It does happen!!) 29. If lights go out illuminate flashlight and have customers push back away from the table and remain outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed Close cases immediately. 30. Cases should be locked at all times including those on backup table. 31. Be familiar with security personnel. 32. Know how to contact security during the show if needed. 33. Know how to contact a show representative during the show if needed. 34. Know how to contact a show representative after show closes in case of an accident or medical emergency. 35. When dealing with customers show only one coin at a time. 36. If you are alone do not show coins to multiple customers at one time. Suspects working in pairs often utilize this method to keep a dealer distracted. 37. Coin thieves will migrate to dealer tables that are extremely busy and easily distracted. 38. Coin thieves look for dealers who are vulnerable. 39. In many cases a person’s unusual head and eye movements raise suspicious red flags. 40. Always watch a person’s hands carefully. 41. Do not let customers place personal items on show case. 42. When showing raw coins watch hand movements for palming of coins. In many cases a person looking through a box will pull out several coins hold in palm and continue to look through box. 43. Closely watch persons who pull out several coins lay them out on case and continue to look through box. This creates an additional distraction and allows for easy palming. 44. Be aware that suspects may work in pairs. (Males or Male and Female) 45. Remember there is no distinctive profile of what a thief looks like!! 46. When working in pairs, the M.O. is for one suspect to be looking at coins while the other one asks questions to create a distraction. 47. Do not let customers pull out their coins for comparison unless you are watching carefully. In some cases this could be used as a means of switching coins/paper money. 48. Do not turn your back to customers. 49. Be suspicious of persons asking unsolicited questions about your travel or value of inventory. 50. Never divulge to any person you do not know that you are traveling alone. 51. Utilize your cell phone camera/video to photograph/video and document suspicious persons. 52. Alert security of suspicious persons or activity on the bourse floor. 53. Distractions – Organized groups will often use distraction methods such as a person fainting, fake heart attack or dropping a small child to open a window of opportunity for an accomplice to steal while at your table. 54. Due to the quality of counterfeits, carefully evaluate all purchases from the public. (Suspects will try to sell counterfeits to dealers who are extremely busy and will not take the time to carefully examine the coins.) 55. If you take a check for purchases - photograph check and identification (require two types of ID) with your cell phone camera. Carefully evaluate photo identification for quality and make sure the photo matches the person making the transaction. (Although be aware that good counterfeit ID’s will have matching photos) The address on the check and identification should match. Do not take postdated checks. If you are still suspicious ask for other pieces of identification. 56. Immediately place large cash transactions in money bags and lock in showcase. Do not display stacks of cash in showcases. 57. If you need to leave your table, lock all cases and alert dealers next to you or in back that you will return shortly. 58. Develop and maintain a personal contingency plan: a. If traveling alone keep a list of any medical conditions, medications and emergency contact numbers inside your wallet or purse. b. If you have a medical condition that may be incapacitating — such as diabetes or epilepsy — make sure someone at the show is aware of a potential problem. c. Make sure a family member and fellow dealer in attendance at the show know where you are staying. d. Travel with adequate medications e. Identify someone at the show who can secure and take possession of your inventory in case of accident or medical emergency. 59. When leaving the show at the end of the day do not carry large sums of cash or inventory. 60. Talk with security or show representatives to identify safe and unsafe venues within the area. 61. Take off all show credentials before leaving the building. 62. Do not talk about your business dealings in a public forum (restaurants, bars etc.,). Remember there is no specific profile of what a coin thief looks like. 63. When carrying coins in a briefcase be alert in areas of congestion that may create an opportunity for theft. Examples: Food lines, ticket lines, crowded subways, shuttles, elevators etc., 64. At the end of the show limit distractions while packing up. Make sure there is adequate security outside when loading. If making several trips to vehicle, have someone watch your table and leave most valuable load for last. 65. Before driving off check your vehicle for any possible tampering (low tires, leaking fluids etc.,) 66. Be cognizant of any suspicious persons or vehicles. 67. Do not be complacent, always be alert to your surroundings – "Do Not Be a Victim……."

I'm not a "watch" guy, but upon hearing about this I Googled this theft and found all sorts of other brazen thefts, much of it on YouTube. One thing I learned was a single Rolex watch could cost $50K. Didn't know that. This "smash and grab" stuff has to start resulting in apprehensions and swift justice. Like when a "display case" gets smashed, then the doors auto lock. Nobody can leave, nobody can enter, and the owners are sufficiently armed — and protected in other ways, too — to defend their lives and property. And it has to resonate that the only way for the auto-lock doors to open is when a heavily armed security force arrives with the only method to get the doors unlocked, and the thieves know they're beat… every time.

Further detail on the ANA Chicago 2022 "lunch break" brazen-theft of a display case of Rolex watches. I can't imagine the horror of the dealer/team when they returned from lunch. The following is a list of stolen property: Rolex 68NM8988 Card Submariner 40mm s/s MAYYY Rolex 50548806 Explorer III 42mm s/s OYYY Rolex Cier Air King 34mm SS Y154239 Rolex Daytona 588u0014 40mm 18kt YG KYYYY Rolex GMT 40mm S/S TIYY E267488 Rolex Subcard 15A71239 MATYY Rolex Black Daytona 40mm s/s AYYY MD88041 Rolex 943YY485 Yachtmaster 31mm 18kt YG/ss IYYY Rolex DJ 18K YG L225047 Rolex 405n559 Datejust 41mm ST/WG OIYY Rolex 74z55203 Daytona 40mm Platinum MYYYYY Rolex 8579069 Day Date 18K yg MMYYY Rolex 1043462 Explorer II Explorer II 40mm s/s NSYY Rolex Datejust IOIY T390114 Rolex A560809 Day Date 36mm 18KT/YG MIOIY Rolex Day date 18k yg 6410355 Rolex K329143 PAP Submariner 40mm S/S TSIY Rolex Day date 18k yg 6 Rolex Explorer II 40mm s/s TAIY F699052 Rolex K358799 Explorer II 40mms/s TIYY Rolex U468886 Yachtmaster 26mm 18k w/g KYYY Rolex t760740 Datejust 36mm s/s CIYY Rolex K132037 Paper GMT Master ii 40mm s/s MMYYY Rolex E619102 Submariner 40mm S/S TOYY 1914D $10 Gold Indian ICG MS65 1883CC GSA Holder 1884CC GSA Holder 1856S NGC AU55 $3 gold 2- $20 Saints PCGS MS63 1850 1$ Gold 1820 Large Cent raw 1865 Five cent raw 1798 1$ pcgs XF Knob 9 1865 2 cent piece 1843-O 50 cent AU raw 2- 1909 D 5$ Indians NGC MS63 Over the past several months, organized groups have been targeting coin shows and coin shops. These offenses are becoming serious issues and have resulted in substantial losses. “As was driven home by the recent theft at the World’s Fair of Money, the American Numismatic Association is concerned about increased numismatic scams and crimes across the nation,” said ANA President Dr. Ralph Ross. “The ANA’s Board of Governors will convene a series of special meetings to conduct a thorough evaluation of the Association’s security protocols and take steps to address the emerging threats to the numismatic community’s property and physical safety. We look forward to collaborating with law enforcement, security specialists and members of our numismatic community for purposes of minimizing risks in our community.”

Finally figured out the movie… it wasn't Bill Murray, not Randy Quaid… it was Craig T. Nelson! Who cares about coin die marriages or metal detecting for Half Cent copper when we've got coin holders that rotate coins… supernaturally!

45º rotation… wow! Sort of like Death Valley's moving stones? Reminds me of the movie where experts come to investigate supernatural movements, talk about how something moved half an inch (or something) in 24 hours, and the guy, who has been drinking for weeks, opens up the door to a playroom and things are whizzing around, and toy chattering teeth come right up in front of them just to makes things even move bizarre. Can't remember the name of the movie.

I have a 1914-D $5 NGC MS64+ (CAC), purchased in December 2014 from a well established Florida dealer. I just did an NGC Verify on the coin, it is a Verify match, and from the NGC Verify Photos the holder matches as seen by a fiber and some debris by a front, bottom-left EdgeView prong. And for the coin match, I am able to identify a slight scratch on the reverse when comparing my photo to NGC's photo. Now, remember that the coin continued its journey before getting to me by also going to CAC at some point and getting a "bean." I did a check on CAC and the coin does check out with their "bean" status, although they only cite NGC MS64. (they don't include pluses "+") However, when I compare my "home taken" photo to NGC's photo, the coin has rotated clockwise half the width of one of its 13 obverse stars. Clearly noticeable. Can this be possible as happening from it just being shipped around or casually looked at? Another possibility might be that the coin was submitted for reholdering, and new photos were not taken; but how would the fiber match, and when new holdering is done, does NGC replace everything, other than the coin? Anyone have a possible Sherlock Holmesian deduction? I've heard of "coin rattlers" but they were unique to PCGS for just three years in their late 1980s holders.

C'mon Kurt, more photos already! Alright? Twanging cicadas today: 7:15 pm — 7:21 pm; all other times in the evenings… just cicadas. Sunset: 7:54 pm. Current: 76ºF, 60% RH, clear; SE 4 mph.