VKurtB

I agree, but the obverse looks better than the reverse. What is going on with the "CA" in AMERICA?

Because it is where it is, I'd like to see it accurately weighed, just to be more sure.

Oh, I see now. Another one of these guys. / eye roll

I keep telling you guys how awesome the Pennsylvania coin scene is.

Anyone watching videos from couchcollectibles IN PARTICULAR gets measurably dumber by the second, while watching them.
He does not inform, he hypes. He is a carnival barker.

Oh, I see now. Another one of these guys. / eye roll

I know, right? They think more is better, and it just isn’t, especially when it’s DIGITAL magnification,

More like dozens of CNG’s - Classical Numismatic Group.

Please. Disregard almost everything you ever saw on YouTube about coins. Please.

Zebo,
Because you seem to be an advanced world collector, this next bit may not apply to you, but the NYINC can pretty quickly become intimidating to many collectors. The majority of the dealers are from other countries, and the world and ancient material on offer there will “shiver your timbers”. I’ve now been to 5 NYINC’s and I still am not used to the highbrow nature of it. It is a humbling experience. I watched guys counting out $100’s like they were singles buying medieval gold pieces. The seminars are beyond compare. You need to go. The current site is IMO the best to date. I’ve been to the World Trade Center one, and the Waldorf Astoria one, but this is the best. Do not expect to see everything in slabs. Many world dealers don’t roll that way. Lots of big number coins lying in velour Abafil trays. 

Zebo,
Because you seem to be an advanced world collector, this next bit may not apply to you, but the NYINC can pretty quickly become intimidating to many collectors. The majority of the dealers are from other countries, and the world and ancient material on offer there will “shiver your timbers”. I’ve now been to 5 NYINC’s and I still am not used to the highbrow nature of it. It is a humbling experience. I watched guys counting out $100’s like they were singles buying medieval gold pieces. The seminars are beyond compare. You need to go. The current site is IMO the best to date. I’ve been to the World Trade Center one, and the Waldorf Astoria one, but this is the best. Do not expect to see everything in slabs. Many world dealers don’t roll that way. Lots of big number coins lying in velour Abafil trays. 

The fact that the cracks are roughly in the same directions as the striations, when both are present, argues for a common cause.

Upon further review...

Be careful of making statements like that. I believe there’s a famous (infamous?) story of a 63 to 68 journey. Not a Saint though. If memory serves, it was a clad Ike dollar.

Sí, señor.

Or perhaps that the pristine condition of the rest of the coin strongly argues against it being PMD? That sort of verbiage I can wrap my brain around.  

There is worse advice than this, but not MUCH worse. All of these "self help remedies" are recipes for disaster. I don't care if they did come from a metallurgist. We've all been there, done that, have the t-shirt. Listen or don't. It's your call, but remember, we warned you.

They did not instantly materialize in 3 zip lock bags. Somebody made them and put them in there. Who? Why? Those are the better questions than “are they real?”

Where do people even get this stuff?

Oh boy. I think you're in for a disappointment.

You need to tell them PRECISELY, by number that they support, which is not all, which error you think it is. All they do is confirm what YOU say it is, or not.
 
Orrrrrr, in other words....
 

In general, no.

My vacations ARE coin shows. No difference at all. Even my U.K. trip was highly coin related. 

If you mean by that, “not that many cities even want us”, that has been true in the recent past, but the long term impact of COVID on convention centers may be changing that, as some other industries learn that live conventions aren’t necessary any more for them. Based on what we do, we will always have a live in-person need. Us and Comicon, at least.
As it pertains to airport requirements, no one can compare with O’Hare, with the possible exception of Atlanta, which is just lovely in August.  But even with O’Hare right there, dealers STILL leave the venue too early. 

The essential “problem” or source of the disagreements on the Board, in my opinion, flows from one essential conflict. Steve is 100% “income fixated”. He seems to not even care about how the Association’s resources get spent. Money, money, money. Income, income, income. Every Board member is expected by Steve to be a “rain maker”. Most of the Board is more interested in how to get the most educational and programming “bang for their buck”. The ANA website, and what it should and should not be, is a microcosm, in that everyone has “the smartest idea in the room”. 
 
In my opinion, they have gone down the “gamification and social media” rat hole, appealing to the “kiddies” at the expense of the core membership’s needs. We need to find a balance. Let’s start with having Board agendas and minutes on the site BEFORE they become stale and pointless. And let’s concentrate on getting convention talks posted online.
 
By the way, if the association continues to be dealer dominated, you might never see another World's Fair of Money, after the "make-up" one in Pittsburgh in 2023, anywhere else other than the Chicago metro area.
Anaheim and Denver both stank from an attendance standpoint, and Philadelphia, while it set attendance records, bled red ink from the ridiculous union work rules. There is a severe lack of creativity in the Association with regard to site selection.

The biggest problem is indeed openness. Things that have no logical reason to be discussed in Executive Session frequently are. I believe they have gotten “lawsuit shy”. They seem to get sued at the drop of a hat every time someone even suggests anything negative about anyone. They need a litigator as Chief Counsel, not a settlement attorney. Hollie is a great lady, but she needs to see the inside of a courtroom occasionally. You have to occasionally beat someone in court to discourage lawsuits.