RWB

No, it is not useful; it is harmful. AU is a singular grade/condition point, just as is MS-70. AU marks the defined beginning of a circulated coin condition. It is a point of reference which cannot be changed without destroying all reliability and consistency in the concept of evaluating coin condition. The illegitimacies labeled "AU-55," "AU-53," "AU-50" are corruptions just as much as MS-73, MS-75 etc. It is merely a greedy squeeze to take in more money for lower quality product from the feeble-minded. Remember "LU" "Slider" "Virtually Unc" and the other in a mutated slime of metastasized numismatic cancers? I buy for research, so the slab "grade" is irrelevant. For many that is not the case, and they are being cheated and abused for the collective avarice of fat-cat perverts.

What you see is a failure to have and maintain standards. Too much money drives the gradual reduction of quality. Once, AU meant an coin with the slightest abrasion on the highest points or disturbance of field luster. Now, that has been bastardized to AU-58, AU-55, AU-50 and other rubbish. The AU-55 and 50 "phony grades" are really EF coins, but given the "AU" tag to boost prices.

It can be tough to wade through a poorly written post of any length.

"When the Czar Alexander was in the Mint at London, he related an incident showing the ingenuity of the thieves at home. Employees in his Mint entered naked, worked and came out naked, yet large quantities of gold were stolen by the process of stuffing with coins such rats as they killed, and throwing them over the wall where their friends were ready to receive them." [AJN January 1884 page 72.]

One other item -- you must be hard-nosed and stingy with yourself. Download one of those P/L Excel spreadsheets and be cruel to yourself and inventory. A business, just like a country, must have the truth to survive and prosper. The "coin collecting hobby" vanishes the instant you rent a show table; it does not reappear until after your business analysis is complete.

In 2021 the Tyrant collection was a "magnet" for collectors. Central placement gives the show focus and draws collectors from all parts of the room through the dealer areas. Dodos were "creatures of habit." The conceptual floor plan is designed to attract greater collector interest, and stimulate outside interest, while requiring participants to move through sales areas. The general public shows a rapidly decreasing interest in boring, flat, joyless amusements - and a coin show is, to the public, an amusement. The concept plan has much higher potential capture of amusement visitors converting them into nascent interested visitors and potential new collectors. The sketch is about increasing exposure and thus profit, and enlarging the future buying base. On a smaller scale, the TPG area is designed to do the same thing for the more engaged collectors by placing "knowledge materials" proximate to them during their 'grading' exercise.

Each numerical grade can be represented by a normal distribution curve similar to this one. Most of the coins graded, for example MS-63, will fall within the two red arrow areas of the curve (one standard deviation). The yellow arrow areas (two standard deviations) will include coins that are labeled “MS-63” but are really either noticeably worse or better that most. The green arrow areas (three standard deviations) are coins labeled “MS-63” that actually fall outside of the “MS-63” grade, either worse (MS-62) or better (MS-64). Therefore each numerical grade overlaps those adjacent, independent of any official definition. This is the realm of the crack-and-resubmit person. Further, the relationship between numerical grades and physical condition of coins is non-linear. This produces a somewhat different normal distribution curve for EACH numerical grade, and thus affects the proportion of coins in the overlapping areas.

With a lot of surplus coins, you could try a local show. Organize what you have, determine what to display, and price aggressively to draw customers and interest. Don't rent more table space than you (or with a helper) can supervise and sell from. Track all sales and item requests that you could not fulfill. Make your table space attractive and interesting - not merely a copy-cat flat space among all the other copy-cat flat spaces. If there's a curtain behind your backup table, use that space to attract attention. You might love to "talk coins" but you are there to sell (and possibly buy) - most of the coin talk will be limited to individual items. 20 seconds is the maximum time you will have to engage a potential customer. Recognize that a large proportion of those visiting your table will be poorly informed or ignorant of coin terminology....it's what they are and you can't change that in 20 seconds. When the show is over, make a cold business examination of what sold-what sat, revenue vs time and expense. Unfilled requests will help you understand the potential buyers at this show and to make estimates for future shows. PS: Know your inventory.

1. The published numbers are a "population" not an "enumeration." 2. They show only the number of "grading events." 3. They exclude all rejected or ungraded coins. 4. They exclude (by definition #1, above) all coins not submitted. Thus, they are gross indicators of extremely limited utility and statistical validity.

That's OK. The rails had to be pretty thin in the first place.

RE: "How to handle gifted collection." I think the first step is to decide if the collection is only 'gifted' or does it also have 'talent' and is thus 'gifted and talented.' This will make a difference in the program the collection can get into and the level of performance demanded. AP and IB programs are similar but have different foci - especially for those displaying considerable talent, but who do not demonstrate exceptional intellectual gifts. Conversely, many gifted do not perform to their capacity and end up populating the monthly Mensa meetings by their less developed organizational capacities. (Another problems for collections of gifted is a persistent inability to explain concepts to other, less gifted collections.) As for the pelican cases, I'm not sure if they are very useful. How long can a pelican live in a watertight case?

I have an impression from the slide away from the thread topic, that it's not of much interest to members. That's OK.

I read the whole thing when published. Much of it has been in print before in one form or another. I won't comment on something like this that I have not examined carefully - some folks made an authentication determination. It's up to them to answer any questions about the coin. Compare Heritage's photos with a 1916 sandblast or 1910 satin proof.

I examined a 1921 DE purchased at auction. It was not a proof by any stretch of the imagination. The auction description for that piece was speculation and largely bologna. I did not, and was not asked to examine the piece sold at auction. Thus it is not possible for me to make a meaningful comment regarding the coin. Someone paid $2 million for it. That was their decision.

No. State what they are, no more, no less.

It requires considerable pre-knownedge to identify if an excerpt is correct/accurate. Can you photograph the pages, then convert the images to PDF, and OCR the PDF. That, I think, would be a lot faster and cheaper than typing....

Even thought its second/third hand, incomplete, out of date, false or simply a lie.....?

On a parallel - the US Mint bought Seyss Automatic weighting and assorting machines from Germany. This was the American phonetic rendering of Zeiß.

...in addition to the Guide Book? My impression is that only a small proportion actually read any of the hobby books published each year. What do others think?

Thanks! Got it from one of the mints when my father was treasurer for one of the heirs of Alexander's empire (and his famous Ragtime Band).

Cosmoline is a heavy weight petrolatum used as a protective coating for guns and metals. Copper and bronze coins have long been coated with similar products. The purest do nothing more olive oil (just don't use cosmoline on your Salad Ready to Eat). But complete removal sometimes strips thin copper oxide which ruins the coin. The OP's friend might have brilliant coins with s slight sheen - but they are worthless to a coin collector.

T'io - door z-oy-s guy-zel' Theodor Seuss Geisel

In this instance, the internet has a lot of material about "Dr Seuss" and his WW-II cartoons and related materials.

Seem to be some who collect "Lindbergh Quarters," rather than accept potential for improvement.