Henri Charriere

When you have your closest associates testifying against you [primarily for their own gain] you're a dead man walking. Billions of dollars were squandered and he was unable to provide simple answers to basic questions. If he had not taken the stand, the jury, by law, could not hold that against him, but by taking the stand and squirming on just about everything asked of him, he only confirmed what the jury already suspected. As always, retained defense counsel came out smelling like a rose. They get paid no matter what. Now if Sam can provide a little something for the assets and forfeiture folks, he may be able to pare that likely substantial prison sentence down some. I guess I don't understand crypto, and never will.

No, see the very first post above for the particulars. Thank you for your interest. You have a very lovely coin!

That's easy. By general assent, I am a numismatist. I set the industry standard. Any questions? One at a time, please.

The Staten Island Ferry is FREE. The Brooklyn Bridge is FREE. Whole toll plazas have been eliminated resulting in less accidents due to miscalculated decelerations and unnecessary crowding improving rapid transit. FREE is the way of the future. Wars abroad? No problem. We throw trillions to have others resolve them. There are TPGSs that hold events FREE for members. If my wife and I ride the subway to and fro, that's over $10. right there. Is anyone aware it costs over $30. to ascend to the top of One World Trade, just to take in the sights from the observatory?

If they were made from solid, intricately-carved dark mahogany from Madagasgar, the price of admission would definitely be worth it. 🤣

The wording of my statement was intentional. Not intestinal. 🤣 I did not want to imply certification was preferred or mandatory. But one needs a starting point. For example, if you have an Indian Head Cent, dated 1877, the only question that ought to follow is what grade is it? From there you can get a ball-park figure as to value. Irrespective of personal point of view, to you it may be "priceless," but if you leave the coin to your heirs, there is no starting point in any meaningful conversation without a value and no more indispensable minimal starting point at establishing that than a grade, or, if it gets to that, an appraisal. I appreciate the advice you gave in one column suggesting collectors would do themselves and their heirs a great favor by selling off their possessions rather than leave them to clueless heirs who would be unlikely to derive any semblance of a FMV for their prized possessions. I have two dozen coins to concern myself with. And with spot gold on the rise, I come out ahead if I do absolutely nothing.

Note: May I gently remind all combatants that where the lords of the Chat Board append THE HAND ✋️ beneath a relatively new member's name, we are constrained to receive him or her with a more hospitable response. (No, I am no longer Guest Moderator. I lost that prestigious honorarium under my old User Name.)

The latest is Sam the one-time crypto mogul was convicted of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy and is facing 110 years in the clink.

NGC, NCS and PMG maintain four (4) official submission centers in London, Munich, Shanghai and Hong Kong as well as a global network of authorized dealers in over a dozen countries, eight in mainland Red China alone. By the way, what're the international turn-around times for the various tiers and services for a coin submitted to Sarasota from Sarajevo?

No me! No me! From a simple wooden chair in my kitchen, I managed to assemble what you yourself conceded was an admirable # 1 ranked set without seeing or speaking to any seller and very often without a photo or description of the coin. I did my due diligence and all I needed to know was A- what's the grade? And B- how much? That's it. Nothing more. Howard Hughes had Noah Dietrich and never spoke or appeared in public anywhere until Clifford Irving deluded himself into believing he could write Hughes' authorized biography, and get away with it. WRONG. No way in the world in this day and age one collector's tastes and grading skills have never aligned with another's. I would rather resign my membership than tolerate a hole in my album due to inability to locomote. Would I trust the Great Zadok? Yes, because my faith in him is unconditional. Based on his musings, he has the right stuff! With the globetrotter, I don't know if his in-hand acquisitions are incidental to his travels, or vice versa. 🤔

But what if that is not possible? I don't know to whom your doctor or dentist go when they seek professional help themselves, but surely you must have a go-to person to turn to whose tastes in coins and grading skills align with yours when it is simply not possible to "have it in your hand"?

Statement: If you want to know how much your coin is worth, you must get it professionally graded.

@GoldFinger1969 : Original comment withdrawn. As regarding banknote grading, there are many more of those than there are TPGS, each of which use their own scale and use of descriptors such as EPQ, for Exceptional Paper Quality, followed by a two-digit number.

[Does that mean Clark, Cheney and Van Dyke would have each been asked to adopt a User Name?] Question answered. Each of their first names were deleted a microsecond before I pushed send. Now that's Moderation! 🤣

One more opinion, mine, may be found: last post on last page of "French 20-franc gold roosters," (subject to Moderation's approval). 11/01/2023.

[Keen observation! With GF1969's assent, I shall designate this coin, as hereinabove described, with the highly-coveted attribute of "High-Wire II," the first being the MCMVII double eagle.] 🤣

No, the prevailing practice is to resubmit until you get an opinion you can live with. 😉

You're running out of time. I assume you know its Fair Market Value, about how many were minted, certified, whether others exist in this grade and none others have been graded finer. Don't let someone outbid you at the Finish Line. Place your bid and we can discuss whether yours was a wise decision after the dust clears.

NOTE: Held for review by moderators pending release... If it came to my attention that just one if not more of the specific Roosters I have been looking for were to be made available at NYINC, I would gladly pay the price of admission knowing full well the sales tax on it would likely be seven times the price of admission... as you wrote in one of your earliest posts -- in that case involving complaints about parking fees -- "let's keep things in perspective, people!" 🤣

This just in FWIW... ACCORDING TO THE LATEST LONG-TERM FORECAST... Gold price will hit $2200 by the middle of 2025 and then $2700 by the end of 2026. Gold will rise to $3,000 within the year of 2028, $3500 in 2031 and $4000 in 2033. (Reference: coinpriceforecast.com>gold)

The Gemological Institute has made it virtually impossible to sell or traffick in stolen diamonds or gems. Automakers, gunmakers, airline manufacturers stamp or emboss their products in secret locations. The same mix of forensic scientific signatures can be used to conclusively determine the true provenance and all past and present owners of a coin. It may not happen in our lifetimes, but it is the wave of the future.

LATEST UPDATE received a few moments ago... After making good on my promise to report the seller to eBay and publicize the seller's listing which I found lacked a single redeeming factor [in language I have ample reason to believe our Dena would find objectionable on this Forum] it gives me great pleasure to inform the membership the seller of the 1906 French 20-franc gold rooster NGC-certified with a grade of MS-63 [having previously claimed the FMV of the coin was $875.] announced a revised selling price of $700 from the initially advertised $1,900 -- effectively effecting a 63% price reduction. Note: I credit member Just Bob for the inspiration to expose those whose dishonest business practices reflect poorly on the hobby as a whole.

A much more reliable leading economic indicator is a noticeable surge in the amount of orders placed for wooden pallets. 🤣

You are scrupulously honest. I suppose not many people know much about it and quite a few are oblivious to its critical importance. The census does get updated but it is in desperate need of an overhaul. What else can a collector or dealer rely upon to determine supply and demand? Mintages, for the most part, remain static subject to the discovery of hoards and meltings, many unauthorized as revealed by counts. If the census is to have meaning, it must be accurate.

That is correct. As failure is not an option, there is plenty of time to come up with a viable solution. 🤔