VKurtB

Morels? The expensive mushrooms?

I have always responded to the “tough love” approach, whether from physicians, psychologists (to deal with years of chronic unyielding pain), parenting, or college Classical Honor Code type of standards (we were obligated to rat one another out). I realize some people want or even need a “softer” approach. I’m glad you’re out there to offer that. I don’t consider myself capable of it. By the way, I hear my Alma Mater has gone “woke”. Makes me sad. 

Liberty Head hoards make Saints look tiny by comparison.  

Or the 57th Street Hoard? (I wish that was a joke, but it’s unfortunately not.) It’s an ongoing indictment of the “all flash and dash” ethos that infects virtually all gold “rediscoveries”. It is abusive marketing by ethically bankrupt con men hawking a commodity that engenders excessively emotional devotion. 
 
Have I made myself clear yet?
Perhaps they should just go the last mile and strap on the Hopalong Cassidy outfits and toy six-shooters, or a Lone Ranger mask. Goldbugs need to grow the heck up. 

Dang purdy. 

In January of this year, at the Estrel Hotel in southeastern Berlin, Germany, a greatly reimagined World Money Fair convened. This is a huge show, that is under new management and management philosophy. COVID threatened to end this show’s run permanently, but new leadership with new and some purloined ideas, has put the show on the path to renewed greatness. Gone are many “sacred cows” of the past. The 2025 fair will run Thursday through Saturday, rather than Friday through Sunday, in order to give participants a better opportunity to get home to do normal business the following week. 
 
One brand new idea is the World Money Fair Club, made up of numismatists interested in an enhanced experience (read: discounts and special products and services). The first several hundred members were issued membership numbers at random at the show, and had the opportunity to strike for themselves a separate commemorative medal in addition to their numbered medal.
Below is my numbered medal, randomly drawn:
 


 
The medal is roughly the size of a U.S. half dollar and is housed in a capsule which is mounted in a booklet a little larger than a standard casino playing card. 

In January of this year, at the Estrel Hotel in southeastern Berlin, Germany, a greatly reimagined World Money Fair convened. This is a huge show, that is under new management and management philosophy. COVID threatened to end this show’s run permanently, but new leadership with new and some purloined ideas, has put the show on the path to renewed greatness. Gone are many “sacred cows” of the past. The 2025 fair will run Thursday through Saturday, rather than Friday through Sunday, in order to give participants a better opportunity to get home to do normal business the following week. 
 
One brand new idea is the World Money Fair Club, made up of numismatists interested in an enhanced experience (read: discounts and special products and services). The first several hundred members were issued membership numbers at random at the show, and had the opportunity to strike for themselves a separate commemorative medal in addition to their numbered medal.
Below is my numbered medal, randomly drawn:
 


 
The medal is roughly the size of a U.S. half dollar and is housed in a capsule which is mounted in a booklet a little larger than a standard casino playing card. 

Can you please tell me what you mean by “mistakes”? Hint: you’re going to have a problem getting others to adopt that description. What you have here is damage that occurred well after this quarter left the mint. 

Star Wars: A New Hope. (Because Jar Jar Binks is gone.)

I’m sorry sir, but you really are off on this. This is 100% damage and 0% mint error. 
 
The Magliazzi Brothers from NPR’s Car Talk put it best, “Don’t think so much if you don’t think so good.”
I was doing Registration at the IMEX show at Nashville last fall. PCGS was doing expensive show pickup grading. One VERY nice gentleman of about fifty years came to me at a slow period to ask me about his coin grades. Only two of his coins even GOT A NUMERICAL GRADE. He had submitted 20, at usurious show grading rates. He had wasted THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS attempting to get damaged coins certified as errors. ALMOST NOTHING IS A REAL ERROR. Your cud quarter is a unicorn-like exception. PLEASE LISTEN TO PEOPLE HERE. THEY ARE CORRECT.  Don’t argue with these people. Argue with those sources who told you these are errors. 

And THAT is what makes it virtually certain that all buyers will lose money. 

China is orders of magnitude more obnoxious than is North Korea. I stand by that. Besides, the DPRK uses wildlife themes on some of their coins. China, on the other hand, uses the goose merely to teach stepping. I have stated that the PRC is THE locus of global evil, and I stand by that. The communist iconography is what the PRC is all about. 

It’s an actual error so maybe it’s okay to count it as 2. 

And why would they? The only thing sillier than STOPPING a collection at 1964 is STARTING one at 1965. 

I have NO inside information on WHY Denver coins look better, but I can say what it LOOKS LIKE. It looks like a lower throughput speed and a longer die to planchet contact time. Now, that makes no sense. It just looks that way. They even have higher rims. 

You are NOT the only one.

This is not only wrong, it MAY be a clinically insane claim. Besides, it’s 1998, not 1999.

When I travel I do not go cheap. 18. Travel is about sampling the culture. 

There are a few fabulous rarities included, from dates that might seem mundane.

Try being in Canada. “ You have to hunt ducks where the ducks are.”

...no its NYC that is different, nay aberrant n thats being kind...middle america is stable n well armed just in case....

You're missing the whole point. Not NGC's, which is to promote its services; the point of coin collecting, which is to learn, grow your understanding, improve at identifying and evaluating coins.
Nobody here who doesn't work for NGC cares if you send anything in for grading. I never have. No one cares about that either. And even NGC won't push you.
You get told to send things in for grading as a throwing up of the hands to an obstinate person who refuses to learn. If you were sensible, you'd see it for what it is. If you post a parking lot coin, or something else that's obviously abused, people will tell you so. If you keep arguing with them, they'll eventually say "okay, bucko, if you think it's so rare and valuable, put your money where your keyboard is." They aren't trying to raise business for NGC. They're politely telling you you're an insufficiently_intellectual_person and that you can go attempt_self_impregnation. If you get to that point, you've already flashed nalgas.
No one is having fun telling you your stuff is worthless. They do that as an annoying duty to help people who, in essence, never bother to read anything else that was posted and who think they know better than experts (and some of our members are just that). They even try to be polite about it, until you argue with them. Then they get blunt and tell you "go ahead and send it in."
All of this is volunteer help given to you as a freebie and in the service of helping you to learn. Gratitude is a thing. You might try that, instead of ranting about what big meanies the volunteers are.
It sounds like you expected a trophy just for posting. We don't offer those. You won't even get hazed provided you at least accept the free guidance shared with you. But if you insist on validation that defies all reason, well, you're hosed on that one. You need to find a fluffier forum that won't bruise your delicate feelings and considers itself obligated to validate any statement no matter how lacking in sense it might be. If you were raised thinking all opinions were equal and all deserved respect, welcome to reality. They aren't; they don't.
So, basically, you're writing your hobby suicide note because you were told the truth with the bark on, and now you're weeping openly. Very good. Do by all means stop collecting, and come back when you mature enough to respect when people know things you don't.

They do generally produce stronger strikes on circulation coins. Frequent PL’s. 

Very compelling piece.

“When ah sez whoa, ah mean WHOA!”