Henri Charriere

[And, "the idea of money is older than the idea of counterfeit money, but older perhaps, by no more than a few minutes." 🤣 A word about "shyster"... which was coined by Gerald Cohen a Manhattan newspaper editor in 1843-1844 who formed the word from the vulgar German word, Schiesse (= excrement) hence "scheisser" became "shyster." While shylock maintains an anti-semitic slant, no such taint is associated with shyster. Finally, a coin exhibiting patina is referred to as being "patinated."] Submitted for the general membership's approval in good faith.

[Same is true for the higher Mint State grades.]

FWIW: My wife took a long hard look, and in French-inflected English said: "Eet iz byoo-tee-FULL!" I agree.

BLAST FROM THE PAST 🐓: Hey Q, why am I beginning to feel that token gig was just a cover? Q.A. Beats me. Nobody, and I mean nobody, goes directly to the major leagues from a sandbox. He never did mention what his Holy Grail was. 🤔

It may very well be that storage of gold in assayed bars is the most economical form vs hundreds of coins -- and space savers as stackable as well.

There could be one, or a plausible combination of three or more causes resulting in this type of PMD. My favorite, unsupported by a smidgen of evidence, is recovery from the railroad mail car fire that destroyed much of the valuable payload as engineered by the d'Autremont Brothers outside tunnel 13 near Siskiyou, Oregon in 1903, which resulted in a three-continent search by postal inspectors and very long prison sentences for the men involved. The beginnings, if not the birth, of Forensic Science has been attributed to the investigative techniques developed over the course of an intensive investigation of this crime.

Good news! If the grade was SP68, any die polishing lines exist only within the windmills of your mind.

Very fine presentation, Sandon, and let this thorough analysis of the meteorite strike prove for once and for all the utility provided by enhanced magnification whether by your space age electron microscope or by my vintage 30-power jeweler's loupe one rather vocal member expressly forbids me to use in any capacity. If there are finer 3-cent pieces anywhere, I have yet to set my eyes on them.

With the suggestion of "sandpaper," a question is raised: the coin (granted, not yours) appears to have been encapsulated. If so, what grade was it assigned and what notes, if any, were included in the label?

Now is that a nice thing to say knowing this is a Life or Death matter for me? All I want to do is Lock-In my All-Time top rank and insure my legacy, for as long as I can.

If it doesn't look like acquiring one is in the cards for you, you may wish to consider 2 troy oz. silver Tribute Rounds such as those introduced by the Intaglio Mint in 2019 which, though produced in limited quantities to exacting specs are still available on the internet for less than $99. [Authentic ones run into the tens of thousands of dollars with one I saw today being advertised for $100,000.] The Tributes may come as close to owning a genuine Gobrecht Dollar (1836-1839) as you can possibly get.

For the record, my holy grail in my starry-eyed youth was the 1909-S VDB Lincoln Head cent in what very well may have been Mint State condition, then described as BU, which I had acquired in my teens and have sold since. Today, it is the French 20-franc Gold Rooster, circulated, 1899-1914. While "complete" and deemed the "best set" on the West coast, it is less than 2 points of becoming the "Best Possible Set." Over here on the NGC Set Registry, the top two competitors' sets are incomplete and their owners are presumably biding their time waiting for the rarest example in the series to become available: the 1900, which is the second date in the series. I believe that remains the holy grail for both though that may not necessarily be so.

According to one source cited in googoo land, the Brittanica Dictionary provides a secondary definition for holy grail: "something that you want very much that is very hard to get or to achieve."

What's the coin you've had your eye out for ever since you can remember and what, if you are inclined to disclose it, is preventing you from acquiring it?

It appears the newly-joined newbie (Note the Hand!) above, has provided an up-to-the minute census on Cliff Mishler's slabbed holdings that ought to give you pause! 🤣

Blast from the Past! ... now I know how galileo felt when he was told to put down his telescope... 🐓 : ... well, when J P Morgan speaks... (silence) people listen... maybe you ought to change your name back to QA, for all the good HC is doing you.

Gentlemen, thank you. Now on to my Special Project: restoring a coin's Original Mint Luster, the answer to which has confounded coin collectors since pterodactyls took to the skies. 🤣

Over the coming weekend, I am going to try something I don't believe I have heard discussed on this Forum [except possibly during my many disciplinary expulsions]. I am going to go well beyond acetone, extra virgin olive oil and vinegar and bring out the heavy artillery: a thorough spritzing and soaking using water-displacement formula # 40 [WD-40] on a few select coins that have long-since lost their original mint luster or satin sheen. I will post the results as soon as I can summon up the nerve to do so. If anyone has tried this at home, feel free to weigh in. My feeling is the bath would be of comparatively short duration and another more responsible, not quite as adventuresome sort, will suggest a rinse without rubbing, brushing or friction of any kind.. Now, if there is something about this you know that I don't, by all means speak up before a semi-classic coin is irreparably damaged. 🤣

Several years ago, a distinguished gentleman on this Forum posted a simple forthright question, in substance: What plans have you made for your heirs? I should like to revisit this question as I have noticed a discernible difference in the collecting styles of those who do, and do not, have family, relatives -- heirs. Any thoughts?

Very upbeat thread, but I cannot help but feel there is at least one member -- likely still airborne, who would reserve judgment until he had had an opportunity to examine these "handful of proof coins" personally -- in hand. 🤣

There's nothing I don't like about it. Great catch!

Ah! At least someone appreciates my sense of humor! Great topic, Mike!

[For the benefit of the uninitiated, this seemingly innocuous quip is representative of the spectacularly subdued humor this courtly member is capable of referring as it does to only the last line of my reply two posts up. Another reason why at times I may be heard to say, "Man, I love this place!"]

"Bless his/her/your heart," is used exclusively by women. "Have a blessed day," is used primarily by church ladies. "Have a nice day!, under a particular set of circumstances, may be positive, and often is, or as the equivalent for the vilest epithets anyone can hurl at you. One of the more interesting applications of an expression that can have two meanings that are polar opposites is, "Get the eff out of here!" The movie actor, Eddie Murphy, used it in speaking to a gentleman of the gay persuasion, in one of his L.A. movies, authentically and appropriately, with an air of mock disbelief or wonderment to mean: "You've got to be kidding me!" or "Get out of heerRRRe!" Minus an applicable emoji, much of what I post on the Forum never sees the light of day.

Respectfully, I would not pay the owner of this numismatical nitemare ONE RED CENT -- much less 300,000 cents.