Henri Charriere

Well, a minyan of ten was reached but this leaves the matter of an "opinion" offered as "fact" in uncharted waters. While the account is credibly detailed, I'd bet my bottom dollar, the Grand Master, RWB, is quietly shaking his head good-naturedly in exasperation and muttering, "mere hearsay." For lack of an official governmental agency autopsy report, he may be right but no one can deny the OP's captivating story-telling style to get his point across. 😉

Mike, If what you have recounted here is true, and I have no reason to doubt it, I owe you a public apology for suggesting only the culprit would know exactly what fate befell this coin. To my knowledge, the temperature range you cited was, if memory serves, quite similar to that estimated to have occurred at the Trade Center. Fascinating bit of history from out west so long ago. With an interesting back-story, any relic deemed to be damaged and therefore worthless, acquires an entirely different significance and a more tempered perspective. Thanks for the soul-searching week-long poll, but I am afraid, unusual narrative notwithstanding, I am not prepared to meet your selling price of ten million dollars. 🤣

One report sees gold going up as high as $10,000/oz. -- by the end of this decade. That prognostication to me means two things. One, a lot of coins will be freed up by profit-taking, it's-now-or-never types, and Two, a concerted effort will be made by legions of ordinary folks as well as numismatists to offer to the public, raw or certified, to the select few collectors who, unable to afford them at today's $2,000/oz., will effectively be precluded from acquiring them as they become available in years to come. And what if the demand is no longer there? I have my alibi. If anyone asks whatever happened to the Rooster guy, my bosom buddies on the Forum will smile and lie: "You mean Q.A.? I heard he left to spend more time with his family." Sounds a whole lot better than, "Oh him! He was priced out."

Re: www.coinworld.com "U.S. Mint plans to resurrect 1794 dollar designs," by Paul Gilkes, published 10/19/2023. Yes, high relief. (Short article; photo included.) Note to newbies... I have been dubbed a "Rising Star" by the NGC CHAT BOARD crew, but my star has not yet risen. 🤣

When is it worth grading? Not exactly fair you should have to wait years and years to elicit an answer, and you have learned a great deal since, but I thought I would give it a shot anyway. How would you establish a coin's Fair Market Value without a grade? For the Set Registry, as you are aware, a grade in and of itself, does not qualify for participation. Ditto the CAC juggernaut, and related concerns. In order of interest I would have to find the coin attractive at a minimum and its assigned grade a means to determine within what price range I can afford. For all intents and purposes, I have accomplished my seemingly modest goal assembling a complete.line of gold roosters. I can tell you grading is indispensable, first and foremost, in buying. Your query would become more difficult to answer if it were re-worded: When is it worth certifying? Absent that, which includes the often-overlooked authentification aspect, a grade is necessary for the purposes of buying and selling. To an average non-collector, all coins pretty much look alike. It takes an experienced eye wielded by a discriminating collector to separate wartime nickels from the glut of Jeffersons minted since 1938 and a practiced eye to single out the silver-bearing dimes, quarters and halves from their clad cousins. As you may know, an MS67 coin very often (depending on the date and series) can command twice the price of an MS66 -- and perhaps more!

My sole references at this early stage is Coin World and Numismatic News. Sorry for the lack of a link but a simple search should yield results. (I would have reported it sooner but I assumed another member would introduce the topic.)

Any thoughts about the 1-ounce .9999 fine American Liberty gold coin to be produced with the use of laser-engraved Master Dies featuring the 1794 Flowing Hair-type visage with minimal use of legends and designs beyond those featured on the original coin as well as a nominal face value of $100?

Greetings! Last we heard from you, you were in a holding pattern over Gander, Newfoundland on your way to check the racing ebb and flow of tides in the Bay of Fundy. I am holding the Forum down for you to the best of my ability but this place just ain't the same without you. All the best!

He was a pre-trial detainee being held in a jail as opposed to a sentenced inmate being held in a prison or penitentiary. Ironically, something good came of the incident. The Attorney General authorized an investigation which resulted in its closure. I take it you take issue with the one-time Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the European theater's assertion. To the OP: You are sorely missed.

While I do not believe all hoarding activity has a common motive, I believe your intentions are honorable and admirable and a fine testament to your character.

If I may, I should like to respond to this rather dismal prognosis with an obscure quote from former president Dwight Eisenhower which, in substance, read: Perfect security is serving a sentence of life in a Federal penitentiary. If it is a comfort to anyone within the sound of my voice... you have Nothing to worry about. Why I personally guarantee it!

There are no hard-and-fast Rules regarding hoards. No "Hoards for Dummies" or "Hoards made Simple." The simplest reason for the existence of a hoard is security, e.g., stuffing one's mattress. In wartime, the rationale would be the hope of returning and recovering it one day. Sometimes that is not possible. Very often these schemes, especially if illegal, backfire spectacularly. Is there an as yet unrecoverable treasure buried deep within a pit on Oak Island? The legend of D. B. Cooper is alive and well in the Pacific Northwest... but where is the skyjacker's $240,000? One of the more notable multi-million dollar gold "hoards" was one few knew about until it was recovered from the rubble of 4 WTC, after the 9/11 attacks. [Thanks for bringing the membership up-to-speed on the latest in hoardology!].

[With the OP's indulgence, and only two ballots left to be cast, I should like to personally thank the member who unwittingly salvaged my reputation and Rising Star status by voting # 1.] 🤣

A pleasure hearing from you, as always. The entire point of my fleeting thought -- I associate "hoards" with the dead and "collections" with those who are alive or have heirs -- was to simply note the fact that it appears death intervened before the owner was able to enjoy the fruits of his labor. This would include buried treasures, hidden treasures secreted in walls or floorboards and coins deposited in coal chutes which led to specially constructed inaccessible vaults. I am delighted to hear Mr. Redfield, successful in his own right, lived a long, happy, healthy and prosperous life.

Some fleeting thoughts... It seems to me the overwhelming majority of owners of hoards, however large or small, do not personally benefit from their accumulations. One typical example: L. Redfield (of the Redfield Hoard, 1974) whose estate was auctioned off for $7.3 millioc The kicker in this list arrives unobtrusively on little cat feet at the very end in a cleverly-worded statement... "If you know of a coin hoard, contact an expert in handling large numbers of very special coins -- GovMint.com!" 🤣

Blast from the Past! 🐓: What's the indefatigable roostermeister have to say about all this? Q.A.: No problem. Watch me dispose of this with my characteristic aplomb. To begin with, APMEX is a bullion concern not unlike that guy who showcased his cache recently on another channel all piled up on pallets. Two noteworthy giveaways: a). the use of the word "random" which is not unlike an offer to sell you something from an "unsearched" cauldron, and b). an historical reference to "Liberte Equalite Fraternite," an inscription which appears solely on the Restrikes, which are plentiful in Mint State grades. But what about the Originals which comprise fully one-half of the Rooster run and are inscribed with a different inscription: [God protect France]? They are conveniently overlooked by APMEX. (The analogy of Roosters to an obscure 2-Ducat Czech coin which is date scarce to begin with is pointless.) Over 100 million Roosters were minted. If they were so "plentiful," the vast majority of sets on any Set Registry would reflect that fact, but they presently do not. Gold has risen considerably since the link provided by GF1969 was written. Sadly, that may be the saving grace of collectors who dove in and quickly realized they were in over their heads. Takeaway: Original Roosters (1899-1906) are difficult to find, period; Restrike Roosters (1907-1914) are difficult to find in the highest MS grades... 🐓: Stay tuned for yet another exciting and informative episode of: Blast from the Past!

@GoldFinger1969 : Note: the following was posted just after JB posted his his reply... No need to cross-examine the witness; I shall take the liberty [as a registered interloper] to assume that task for you... as regarding the first line of inquiry, one need only scroll up and see The Waving Hand and a date indicating a membership of less than thirty days. The advent of "error mania" starts at an early age. Moving right along, submission is a rite of passage. Like getting your first driver license the only difference being in the draft card days, you would get a letter which opened with a pleasant, "Greetings." I divide collectors -- fairly or unfairly -- as AS or BS, i.e., After Silver was removed from coinage, or Before Silver (when coins were real). Whether it was the OP's first submission is of no moment unless we knew what it was comprised of. Your last query is a tough one. One former member urged people to send in everything that went counter to the learned membership's advice acknowledging it would be "an expensive learning experience." What little remains of my conscience would never permit me to do so and, in point of fact, that is where I, and the membership proper diverge philosophically. The OP has indicated hers was a bulk submission. Practically, this means the futility of possible error attribution was discovered immediately. I would have returned the submission and reimbursed all monies expended minus for practical expenses such as return postage and insurance. Why? Simply because the OP did not get what she paid for.

In 2000, Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde passenger jet crashed shortly after take-off killing all 109 people on board. Am I to believe the Great Zadock, refiner par excellence, would advise the Chairman of the NTSB to forgo an investigation for the above-stated reason? I would hope not. To the OP: Enquiring minds want to know. We are short a scant four votes. Let the polling resume.

[Editorial rant: Six replies in as many days. I respectfully request members stop worrying about the little, inconsequential things like reputation, life-long experience and credibility and address the matter at hand, as the OP suggested, with your conscience, or barring that, with your initial gut instinct. Let's step on the gas here and muster four more votes!]

If we were to consider the composition of so-called "war nickels," maybe, just maybe, an "improper alloy mix" would begin to make sense... 56% copper, 35% silver and 9% manganese. To my knowledge, none would impart a blackened hue no matter how rejiggered. But the usual 75% copper and 25% nickel mix? Sorry, I may not be from Missouri, but you're gonna have to Show Me! I challenge anyone on the Forum well versed in strength, corrosion-resistance, hardening, weldability and castability to show me with a preponderance of the evidence exactly how such a phenomenon could plausibly be caused to have occurred. Does my impertinent challenge extend to grading services as well? In a manner of speaking, a resounding Yes! Have other TPGS similarly certified such genetic anomalies. I'd like to hear what other like-minded doubting Thomas's and nattering nabobs of negativism have to say about this. Resident mad scientists and discredited naysayers, as always, are welcome, too.

Not really. Early on, I realized you were the "prime mover," if not a "person of interest," but I already knew the "official" explanation would be clinical, sterile and antiseptic. [So boring, in fact, the the venerable VKurtB begged off with a terse, "cert. denied," from which there is no appeal, as is his prerogative.] I introduced a little-known, historical fact that made The Case of the V-nickel more interesting and entertaining.

I have voted with what passes for my conscience, but reading very carefully between the lines, will suggest the unimaginable: not only does the OP know exactly what happened, he can tell us how, when and why! Not for one hot minute do I put any credence into serious claims made by prominent members that the cause isn't important or of little or no concern. Only the party that insists all members put their scant knowledge to the test knowing all the while it was he who perpetrated this fine hot little mess is likely to benefit from this scandalous exposure and polling of epic proportions and that is the OP himself. Am I stating J'accuse! because the poll exposes me for the ignoramus I am? Obviously! 🤣

And the folks at Stack's Bowers squirreled away at 61 Main St. 🤣

Looks like something you'd find on a circa 1960's tie-dyed T-shirt. 🤣

For the benefit of those who, like me, continue to sit on the fence as regarding the future disposition of their numismatic treasures, I have taken the liberty of re-posting an excerpt from a distinguished member which I feel is relevant to the topic at hand... ".... Heirs will likely do better formally with proceeds from your selling, than by inheriting the things you enjoyed...." [Empasis mine.] by @RWB as quoted in "How are you preparing your collection for your heirs," by Woods020, January 13, 2022