Alex in PA.

This little letter seems to be among the earliest describing gold in North Carolina. Anyone know of earlier correspondence with the Mint or Treasury Dept.?

Cabarrus Court House
N.C.
November 23, 1803
Director of Public Mint
Honored Sir,
Enclosed you find a simple of metal of which we find considerable quantity.
I will thank you to try it, and inform me as soon as possible what you will give in coined gold per ounce; or what you have for coining. We sent you a small piece some time ago and your answer which said it was worth 18-1/2 $ per ounce, whether you will give that or not you did not say.

Since the reception of your letter there was one piece found which weight 28 lb. There are found from 20 dwt to 130 [dwt] per day.

Please state in your answer whether you would detain [see note – Ed.] a person who might take to Washington 30 or 50 lbs of it any time; or change Eagles directly for it.
I am respectfully,
Your humble servant
Richard Brandon
Navy agent
[Ed. – “Detain” is used in the sense of “delay” such as until the gold was coined, or if it could be immediately exchanged for Eagles.]
(RG104 E-1 Box 004)

For my nephew...............

Another interesting quote, one which validates my fears:  "Beware of the AU58+ CAC coins that sell for moon money. My concern is they are being chased up by the Everyman Registry sets which prize this grade point. Should an AU58+ be worth more than an MS63 coin?"

Oh great and wise Crypto Currency  holders have no fear of a collapse.  I'm told that a little cream and sugar and it tastes just like Shredded Wheat,

When in doubt and need top quality American Eagles just pick up your phone and call Rosland Capital.  Ask for William Devane; he will fix you right up.  

Absolutely 100% correct.  The Morgan - Peace Dollar is the perfect example of the US Mint's all hype and no show.  I half expected another States Quarters fiasco that would run for year after year.
The United States Mint - may it rest in peace.

The Mint is a substantively hamstrung institution that has restrictions on it unlike any “first world” equivalent. Congress is the Mint’s taskmaster. Yes, the Mint is not exactly crawling with expertise lately, and many functions they used to handle “in house” are now done by outside contractors, where the locus of their loyalties is often ambiguous. This Mint is in a no-win predicament often, but they often compound that ill by not handling well the things that are within its bailiwick. 
 
The 2021 Morgan and Peace dollar program was ideologically driven by Tom Uram, of the Pittsburgh area, and former ANA VP and CCAC member. He is also the FIRST recipient of the ANA Chester Krause Award for distinguished service, AND a dear friend. 
 
The last Farran Zerbe Awardee and the first Chet Krause Awardee are both Pennsylvanians and both dear friends. 

I really dislike reading posts like this.  I do not see myself buying coins direct from the mint, so this does not impact me.  But, the sour taste that the Mint puts in collectors' mouths is terrible for the hobby as a whole.  It's bad enough that the Mint floods the market with (IMO) too many coins. It is particularly salty when those that do buy Mint products... wait, put up with the glitches/crashes, and ultimately end up with sub-par/damaged coins. 

On one hand, Denver usually makes superior circulation coinage to Philly’s, but on the other hand, these Morgan pieces were not struck on production machines. Denver doesn’t often do larger coins at all. Their bailiwick seems to be the uncirc versions of some commemoratives. 

Sounds like a great project; get the family involved.  

My youngest son wants to help me put together a set of Franklins. Its going to be a fun father, son project. We been watching this one all week as the clock slowly counted down. My son really wanted it. He loves the toning on it. So I ended up bidding on it and we was fortunate enough to get the winning bid. Not got it in hand yet. 

Regarding cleaning of coins, if you have to ask, don’t do it. Actual conservators know what they’re doing and they are NOT “transparent” about the chemicals and techniques they use. 

Way to go @Lem E  Great job.  

Way to go @Lem E  Great job.  

Lets all congratulate our very good friend @Lem E He worked very hard and earned that #1 spot with his impressive nickel collection. I knew he was gonna do it. Im very happy to see him finally earn that position. Congratulations brother. 

The weirdest thing to me is that the eBay coin - which we know is in a counterfeit slab - looks like a nice MS63. The Great Collections coin, which is more attractive, but looks beat to hell and I'd have called it an MS62 (MS61 if a common date).

Did you respond to an email from a Nigerian prince? And are Haiti  out of their gourdes?

When I read that thread, all I see is rampant ignorance of how ubiquitous fake slabs are. Imagine the worst state of affairs you can. Now multiply it 10x. Then multiply it again. You’re STILL coming up short. ICTA had a display at the Philadelphia 2018 ANA show. That’s four years ago now. The idea was to pick out counterfeit holders of various types from the real ones. It was a trick deal. EACH AND EVERY HOLDER WAS FAKE!!! People really need to wise the heck up. Even the best experts out there are being fooled by Chinese fake coins AND HOLDERS. No one is safe, particularly online. 

I think that was the conclusion reached on page 2 of the thread.

The acetone will “kill” any active stuff on the coins that would damage them further. It may also improve the appearance. It can also clear up any RECENT fingerprints.