RWB

That would be great!

Yes. Identifying contemporary counterfeits will be helpful. Modern fakes from China or Colorado can be identified using new techniques, which will not be discussed.

The big change for the worse was under Grant as Director. Everything languished. Ross took over a place where the guards carried rusted guns, and many were too old to perform the job. Some of the Secret Service reports on inspections read like an old Keystone Kops silent. Reading private communications during the early years between Ross and her secretary are dispiriting. The 1930s were a time of recovery, renovation and improvement in equipment, facilities and staff. Ross also happened to like Sinnock, even if he was a 2nd rate talent. She loved his Franklin portrait that eventually was used on the half dollar created by Frank Gasparo.

Here are the disc specifications: One Sovereign Equivalent Four Sovereign Equivalent Gross weight: 7.99 grams Alloy: Gold 0.916667, Copper 0.083333 Diameter: 22.05 millimeters Edge: Vertical reeding Obv design dia.: 17.50 millimeters Rev panel: 15.50 x 8.4 mm Year produced: 1947 Quantity: 121,364 Mint: U.S. Mint, Philadelphia Gross weight: 31.96 grams Alloy: Gold 0.916667, Copper 0.083333 Diameter: 30.60 millimeters Edge: Vertical reeding Obv design dia.: 17.50 millimeters Rev panel: 24.45 x 8.4 mm Year produced: 1945 Quantity: 91,080 Mint: U.S. Mint, Philadelphia *Both versions are undated.

Clashing of dies is common among early halves, but 1813 is notorious for strong clash impressions.

....practiced preparing meeting agendas and taking minutes. Few "experienced" people had either the security clearance or technical knowledge to do the job. Also, there was no line item for a paid note-taker.

No, I meant "explicit." The rule was stated, not implied. In most instances, final minutes went to the Asst Sec or SES within 2-3 days. Action item follow-ups were recorded at the next meeting (or sooner if required). My people practiced preparing meeting agendas and taking minutes. They pooled notes after a meeting so that the "scribe" could get details from various specialists on the team. Casual chit-chat was discouraged and everyone quickly learned to stick to the subject, state their views and research clearly, and determine any actions to be taken. (Action items were part of the minutes.) Yes, I ran a highly structured group of professionals who appreciated that their time and knowledge were respected. The goal was to meet and exceed all contract deliverables and specifications, and to integrate those work products with the client's future plans. (Not something the company I worked for understood.) My staff did the work -- I made sure they had everything necessary to create and succeed; and the credit was entirely theirs. Had I any influence with ANA, that's approximately how I would operate meetings.

Minutes of corporate meetings that my folks ran were always ready for review by participants the next business day. Each participant had 24 hours to revise, amend, or correct the minutes (48 hours if it was a long meeting). Revised minutes went out the day after revisions were due. If someone did not respond without good cause, it was explicit approval. Never had a problem once the Govt folks knew the rules and all the Asst Secs and SES'ers loved it.

The reverse is very nice with only 1 or 2 dings. The obverse has a lot of chatter on Liberty's cheek and the left field. It might go into a TPG 63 or 64 holder. Value about $110-$175. Not worth the cost of slabbing if those are the likely grades.

I'm currently assembling a die variety article about the Saudi 1- and 4-sovereign gold discs. This is to support collectors of these U.S. Mint bullion products and to help better identify contemporary counterfeits. If members have one or more of these pieces, please let me know so I can include their coin in the research. Thanks! (I've been through the major auction company photos.)

This kind of die clash is known on several years and mints of Franklin halves. There are few collectors and it is not especially valuable. The 1955 "Bugs Bunny" was simply a sales promotion that survived largely because of the nickname's alliteration.

Ok. It involves U.S. coins, not intended for general circulation.

Huh....? I don't understand.

Henri mentioned "presumably impartial." Simply a fact. Nothing political unless you consider peanut butter and jelly.

If there is a " + " then there should be a matching " - " with the opposite meaning. I guess for a "star" there should be a "singularity." (Paging Stephen Hawking -- Wake up there in Westminster ! )

It must have fallen off -- Bet the glue wasn't dry!

Might do better in a "Great Collections" auction.

Use the Crocodile Tear. You'll feel better afterward.

I tried to get 'em to make the digital version without vowels. They said, "No, we've already paid for them."

I've never seen a coin with a " * " or '" + " on the label that deserved it. The numerical grades themselves are too flexible and imprecise to be very reliable. (But, I prefer consistency and quality to cute sales symbols.)

Now, now.... Let's not bring in Clarence Thomas....

The topics Demand and Supply are not treated comparably. Supply seems to ignore non-mining sources, while Demand includes all uses. If correct, this invalidates the report and its conclusions.

Dipping a copper coin in acid produces an unnatural color similar to that of copper sheets found at a hardware store, but with a slight pinkish cast.

Laser "frosting" began in the 1990s and it took almost a decade to progress from grossly ugly "snakeskin" texture to something closer to the frosting created by chemical or sandblasting means. The change to laser "frosting" was implemented to reduce the time and expense of cuting friskets on proof dies. Here is Adam Eckfeldt's (1854) recipe for chemical frosting for coin dies: 1/3 each nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid. Add "spirit of wine" (alcohol) 1/2 the volume of the acid, and then add 1/4 the total volume of water. (Example: 2 oz each acid = 6 oz. Add 3 oz alcohol (half the acid volume). Add 2.25 oz water (one-quarter of the 9 oz.). Total volume = 11.25 oz.)

The Whitman Guide Book series requires special treatment to prepare and update. Page count is limited and content is at a new-to-moderate level of knowledge. As for the original question: "Who Will Be the Next Q. David Bowers in Numismatics?" There won't be one. Each era produces its own circumstances, and they help develop unique approaches and communications. Dave was there for the 2nd great numismatic expansion and we all benefited from his dedication, joy, and expertise. (The first was when large coppers were replaced and large numbers of people became collectors.) Dave's greatest influence was to take the old forms of communication, and reconstruct them to do more than merely "sell stuff" -- but to "inform and interest the reader" -- to bring imagination and fact together in an enjoyable and supportive text, printed on quality paper with professional design.