Henri Charriere

I know I have said this before but it bears repeating. Some judges keep a tight rein on courtroom proceedings (one even "ordering" a deputy USM go fetch a sport coat for a defendant who appeared before him in jail garb.) When one witness embarked on a scenic tour whilst on the stand, the jusge, unprompted, directed the AUSA to instruct his witness to be more responsive. As regarding our Grand Master, it may cost me more than I am willing to lose, but I am seriously entertaining the thought of suggesting your ongoing Hatfields and McCoys sniping was approved by top NGC management to keep things interesting on the Forum. The "crimes" you have cited as having been committed are, if they even rise to that level, little more than miscellaneous differences of opinion which all are entitled to. (Posted at Moderation's discretion.)

C'mon, @Captain Murder ! We have tread this ground before. I even suggested you change your User Name to give youself a fighting chance at a come-back, and what do you do? Go back to selling, or attempting to sell your wares -- on the very same Forum you were asked not to! The playground for buying and selling coins and related tchotchkes is COIN MARKETPLACE. It is listed right alongside all the other NHC Forums.

I only have a fifty-year affiliation with the hobby which, admittedly, is a lot less than those who boast of attending President William McKinley's inauguration. If that be the case, would any member more erudite on such matters, and so disposed, volunteer what they feel may be the defining distinction between a coin deemed to be inauthentic which to me seems to be a more polite, less judgmental way of dismissing a coin as being a counterfeit.

British Petroleum [BP] ain't got a da-ned thing to do with it! Revisit the figures I provided upthread. Gold Rooster melt, then, was $429.82. [Spot gold was $2302.02.] The gold bullion dealer with the least expensive gold roosters was APMEX: $445., exclusive of dealer premium and sales taxes, where applicable. The gold bullion dealer with the most expensive gold roosters was Money Metals Exchange: $488., exclusive of dealer premium and sales taxes, where applicable. That was then, yesterday. Today is today, and tomorrow, may be further up or down. One thing I have to give @zadok credit for was opening my eyes up to the fact that F20FR GR are bullion. Of course, gold spot price is less of a consideration the higher you go up the Mint State scale. The owners of the finest examples, I believe it safe to say, do not fret over fluctuations.

THAT'S A DAMNABLE LIE. Besides, as I have pointed out out recently, gold spot is risng suddenly in fits and starts. If dealers monitored them they'd have time for nothing else. You're in scrap and consequently on the prowl. While you are not required to keep close track of irregularities, you would do unto others what others do, or should do, unto others. I have NEVER compromised my principles for.money, least of all filthy lucre. One more reason why I turned out as well as I have.

A dork nozzle, where, up my schnozzola? I regard everyone who carries a nozzle or muzzle as an abject loser. The brains - - - has give me has held me in good stead. Through thick and thin, I have always prevailed. And if something happened, and I were dispatched suddenly, what would I have left to fear about? Nothing. Death tends to reduce things to their losest common denominator. Most people worry about living, not dying. Besides, I have a 🐓 collection to complete. There's always a time to die. Capiche?

That query made famous by New York City's mayor Ed Koch in the 1980's is applicable here in one sense: Set Registrants, and more particularly those participating in them on the West coast. My early morning subterranean travels (pointedly discouraged by at least two distinguished members here) have yielded some little-known facts. For one, a gentleman whose rank is Numero Uno out of 85,823 users has amassed an astounding 68.77778 score and 3500 out of 3500 points, an achievement shared with dozens of others. In checking around further, I discovered yet another set registrant who had also accumulated 3500 of the 3500 possible points and was gobsmacked by two other figures provided: Highest Rated Set 71 and Highest Graded Set 71.5. (The last time I addressed this anomaly, I was charged with seditious bashing so I shall decline to elaborate on this mind-boggling little-known phenomenon, and do so politely My only Highest Rated Set is 65.906 while my goal, the finest possible set rating is 67.313 which like all scores can change in a blink of an eye as the certification juggernaut moves on relentlessly. So, how are you doing? (Posted at the discretion of moderators whose terms and conditions I accept.

FYI: French 20-francs gold rooster melt is: $429.82. (Gold spot was $2302.02, as of an hour ago.) What it costs, presently, to own one... from lowest to highest prices: BULLION DEALER, PRICE, DEALER PREMIUM: 1. APMEX, $445.22, $15.90. 5. MONEY METALS EXCHANGE, $488.93, $59.09. Note: For the majority of Set Registrants interested in acquiring an older "original" at these prices -- regardless of state of preservation -- the time for entertaining that silly notion is long past. Only 5 years ago, fistfuls of gold roosters could be had raw for between $259. and $289, minus sales taxes which were yet to be imposed on platforms like eBay. 🐓

🐓: That may very well be a cold carom shot! Q.A.: It's okay... at least we get a shout out now and then from our biggest fan. 🤣

No. Stop it! We lost our way when silver was taken out of coinage and Big Pharma decided to flex its muscle. (My wife's psychiatrist told me if you feel she no longer requires psychotropic drugs -- she no longer needs me presumably because her primary job is to prescribe medicines. Education relies wholly on what you read regularly, what channel you listen to, from whom or what (school, college or university) you get your education, and ultimately what you choose to do with it when you get it. Nothing more complicated than that. The fear of [tetragrammaton] is the beginning of knowledge. (Posted at the discretion of moderators.)

musings, but critical to truly understanding why things happen. By law, and Guidelines, most regrettably, I cannot share my vast storehouse of knowledge with you. Nevertheless, probably the most insightful comments ever posted on any Forum anywhere.

As they say on the gritty streets of Noo Yawk: Run it!

Can you think of a single reason why they don't?

🐓: I thought coming-out parties for debutantes were off-limits for Debbie downers. I would resign my commission here forthwith with nary another thought if you would look at the brighter side of life just once and retire that sad emoji I have been told has been rehubbed three times to date, immediately.

A splendid tribute!

Intentional or accidental... I just don't see anything worth busting a gasket over. Kurt, you do your own grading. Why would you care about what the Owner's Manual on Grading says? I don't. . Thirty Thousand people lost their lives in Gaza. A quarter of a million people lost their lives in and about Ukraine. And, oh yeah, I have to pay more attention to what everyone here says. Sheesh! And that's whether I get a sad emoji from z or not. C'est la vie! My wife loves me. I told her I became smitten with her one day when she objected to something I said and, pointing one forefinger in the air for emphasis, said: "'scuse me, SIR!" We were already married for over a year. I never got over that...

I will take this for the compliment it was meant as.

🐓: Say Q, do you have any idea what they're talking about? Q.A.: Of course not... ignorance is bliss. Gold Standard or not, the Rooster clan, of which you are a charter member, is getting close to twice what I paid for 'em. One more thing, I never heard from HA in all the years I've been here. THEN THE MOMENT OF DREAD ARRIVED! Literally hundreds of lots were being auctioned. Sad to say, HA's Want List is a lot worse than MA SHOPS. Seems a lot of folks are tryin' to git, while the gittins good. 'specially now that gold is high. Only problem is I made my intentions crystal clear. What I got for my trouble was page after page of unrelated series and denominations and the Roosters, while Mint State, were all bottom of the barrel: 62s 63s 64s... Is this thing on? Hey Kurt, do you suppose my heart could stand the initial 60-mph drop and twist and turns of the Coney Island roller coaster? It's not even summer and I'm bored. Oh sheesh! Goldfinger! Sorry 'bout that. Carry on, gentlemen!

I am going to insist his remark was taken out of context or he was not quoted in totality. Preservation is EVERYTHING! It accentuates EVERYTHING! Disagreeing with someone based on something someone else reported he said in relevant part without giving anyone here a precise quote, or even a chance to "s'plain" himself, smacks of un-Americanism. Not exactly analogous to the matter at hand but a bridge token was posted on this Forum recently that was so corroded, the owner enlisted the membership for assistance in identifying it. To the Forum's credit, two members were able to decipher the virtual hieroglyphics. (Nobody accused either of practicing numismatics without a license.) Strong strike, original mint luster, and color are irrelevant in cases like that. I repeat: IRRELEVANT! PRESERVATION IS KEY AND CONTROLLING. Not all grading characteristics are relevant in every case. I do not and cannot allow anyone to dictate how any member is received or treated by the membership. I don't need an open or concealed carry permit. Getting along with Roger is easy. Just don't mention Breen or Penny in his presence.

I cannot remember the last time I actually used a coin. Hot dog carts (food carts generally) you local hardware store, rent collecting, banks, museums. cable companies, commuter rail systems, grocery stores, with the advent of SNAP and loss of food stamps, Social Security (for the most part) theaters, parking meters (which have switched to cards or receipts) laundromats which have switched to cards, toll collections which have been abolished in favor of swipe cards and EZ- passes, it won't be long before coins, tokens and currency fall into disuse. About the only business that accepts cash on the money side of the equation is PCGS -- and yes, I used that option. (I am sorry to report a concern that fabricated copper bars and Prison Life magazine are the only two concerns that went on the lam with my cash money. I dodged a bullet with Northwest Territorial Mint, but who can blame them? At the time spot silver was in a free-fall.) With respect to PCGS, I figured if you can't trust a TPGS that handles priceless coin relics daily, whom can you trust?

The Rules regarding membership and the privileges accorded each, are evolving. My understanding, with respect to NGC only (which I learned the hard way, is: a). Whether you be a Lurker (or the more socially-acceptable, Guest) you must be a paid member if you wish to leave a comment. ("Visiting dignitaries" may participate with a referral made as a polite inquiry made to management.) b). As regarding the Set Registry, not all details are accessible to all viewers. It takes but a single coin to start one of your own and membership, apparently, is not a prerequisite. Both the numbers of members and set registrants are known, but as was made clearly recently, death does not result in disenrollment. Those disinclined from participating in the Chat Board are not listed and cannot be contacted. Many members have disengaged from active participation in the coin collecting community. Many set registrants do not wish to be contacted and [on PCGS' Set Registry, many members block anyone from viewing their sets! Their sets are not public.] Obviously, this prevents nosy members like me from getting an accurate measure of my standing with respect to the competition I face. I believe I am the most transparent of members as regarding my collection, and accessibility but can appreciate the concerns others may have for their holdings. To each his own. Note: if I am mistaken in any assumption I've made, feel free to correct me. (Posted at the discretion of Moderation.)

Well, to be philosophical about this, eliminate the state of preservation and you pretty much not need not bother with the rest. Some feel toning should be considered. Shall we ostracize them? I believe one of our presidents of the U.S. effected carnal knowledge with his slave. Shall we melt all his nickels down? Zsa Zsa Gabor slapped a police officer in the face, obstructed governmental administration and paid a hefy price for her intransigence. Shall we all collectively burn Roger at the stake for emphasizing preservation and have him burnt at the stake for simply suggesting the Earth revolves around the sun? It's too bad I am merely a schlub, because I do have strong feelings about a number of things which, luckily for me, cannot be expressed on this Forum. 🤣

Is this place great, or what? Man, I love this place! 🤣