Henri Charriere

VF-37; not an integer more, not an integer less.

I had wanted to share my personal experiences in dealing with North West Territories mint which imploded a number of years back, but that will have to wait for another time and another thread MODERATORS: YOU HAVE PERFORMED MAGNIFICENTLY. FEEL FREE, IN THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF REAGAN, TO "TEAR DOWN THIS WALL." Man, I love this place! 🤣

Troo dat.

May not be conclusive. The example provided by Sandon, via Coinbuf, lacks a High Wire and simply appears more concise. A slo-mo revolution on one end, which even my vintage rotary cell is capable of, would solve this mystery once and for all.

VKurtB is a contender with legions of fans at his disposal. You speak in generalized inexactitudes which are difficult to prove or disprove. I try not to offend you, or both of your followers -- (one of whom happens to be me.) 'nuf said.

For the benefit of those who have spent many a sleepless night agonizing over questions such as, Why did France change the inscription on the edge of the 20 franc gold rooster from "Dieu Protégé France," or God Save France on the originals dated 1899 to 1906, to "Liberte Equalite Fraternite," or Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood on the so-called "restrikes," dated 1907 to 1914, I inadvertently stumbled upon an explanation and offer it here for, as the late, great Oldhoopster put it, "broadening the body of knowledge." After 1905, and the formal separation of church and state, and following anti-clerical pressure, the earlier inscription was changed to the newer one. It should be noted, parenthetically, that the old inscription has been found on a number of restrikes. As with most varieties and oddities of the French persuasion, no premium value attaches to restrikes bearing the older inscription. The likelihood you may see one diminishes with each encapsulation.

Now THIS is outright, blatant (not latent) in-your-face provocation far worse than all the feral cats and Red China's rolled into one!

Respectfully, the term "business strike" did not exist and was unheard of until recent times. They were all collectively referred to as "circulation strikes." [Check any vintage Red Book for confirmation. This obtains until such time as RWB's digs indicate otherwise.]

The OP is, for all intents and purposes, a charter, card-carrying member of NGC and its Chat Board. As such, it is unclear to me how or under what circumstances he could have mistook a set of uncirculated coins for proofs unless the activity alluded to took place a long, long time ago. Each product line is clearly packaged and identified as such. The other thorny matter concerns choice of words used: "cut them out." No deluxe album I am familiar with requires resorting to extreme measures. (I know the Smithsonian resorted to gluing coins to display boards, but Dansco, why?) I had always thought coins were simply "pushed in" or "pushed out." If I am sadly mistaken, I shall relinquish my "Rising Star" status," forthwith as undeserved.

In instances where I have received dispatches which border on colossal chutzpah, such as those purporting to be from the Director of the FBI, I forward the message I received to them for investigation and prosecution where warranted. Members should take the time to understand that while scams involving the mails, television, internet and phones, each have their own investigative arm, some agencies have sites which are dedicated to specific scams. The FBI, IRS, FCC and USPS handle specific complaints. I believe it safe to say, with the limited resources available to each agency for investigations of scams, the priority appears to be given, not to those who feel an attempt may have been made to scam them but to those who were actually victimized. I have the time and inclination, so I report everything, particularly when someone purporting to be from the FBI or Customs and Border Patrol seeks your assistance in delivering a shipment -- or declares himself to be in a position to circumvent established security protocols to expedite delivery to you for a fee. I have archived some of the more creative schemes which would have succeeded had I not recognized a few stand-out Red Flags.

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED... pure, unadulterated humor to follow. As a member who has, and continues to receive, repeated attempts to enlist me for phishing, hiking and all-expense-paid excursions to exotic lands I have never heard of, to the tune of some two hundred daily, down from considerably more, before I experienced log-in loops at which point I was helpfully advised to jettison all my cash and cookies (most notably the oatmeal kind) 🤣 I did what all responsible members do: I shot off a letter to the sender (addressed to no one in particular) thanking them for bringing this urgent matter to my attention and requesting which of the many accounts I maintained under different names required my immediate action. While I await a reply -- interestingly, the sender address was valid! -- my thoughts... If any member were to be taken in by this amateurish attempt, that would explain why such scams are regarded as a threat. If any entity were to be offended by the logo used, it ought to be NoCopyrightSounds, National Championship Sports, or the National Cathedral School. All FedEx scams fail right out of the gate with poorly executed logos which fail to define the "arrow" formed between the E and X. Seasoned viewers know this. Finally, thank you! Thank You! THANK YOU! NGC, for validating my claim that the only proper way to spell collectible is as rendered here, using the "i," and not "a". More on the scam if and when I receive the courtesy of a reply. Moderation: Feel free to delete if no replies are received within 48 hours as it is 7:37 p.m. here in New York.

Unless the original government packaging had been compromised in some way, I would have kept them housed as is.

Objection! To Whom are you directing this promising line of inquiry?

I do not believe the phone number is in service anymore, what with the advent of the internet, but the New York Public Library's main building, established when the Astor and Lennox Libraries merged with the Tilden Trust, prided itself on answering every question put to it, by phone. It will be a privilege, and honor, to assist you in this regard.

Easy for both of you to advance these speculative period pipe dreams but in the absence of sources, I reject them with every fiber of my being. Am I to believe those who likely would know, the TPGS that have evolved since -- the ones through whom such relics would come through far more regularly than an off-the-beaten track coin shop in Dubuque or prominent auction houses, or universities which oddly, felt a report card or transcript was insufficient to demonstrate proficiency, in English about as basic as apple pie) the ANA or the Smithsonian... have all come up blankito? Sorry, I ain't buying, but will make some inquiries. (If it it'd've been me, I would have posted the coins under a heading, "Research Inquiry." Can anyone direct me to a source which offers an explanation as to what these counter stamps mean?")

@zadok : They would likely do the same thing they've done before anytime something "highly irregular' is submitted: consult legal counsel. If it's any consolation, I would vouch for you. 🤣

As long as there is a probability, however improbable, likeliness, however unlikely, possibility where all indications over time point to near-impossibility, there are those who will seek and there are those who will find. Those are the stories of Carter and King Tut's tomb, Schliemann and the treasures of Troy, Mel Fisher and the Atocha, and those involved in the recovery of the treasures that had gone down with the S.S. CENTRAL AMERICA. Despite the astronomical odds, some will make it their life's ambition to uncover hoards and buried treasures, and yes, 1982-D small-date Lincoln Head cents. They will not be deterred.

@Mike Meenderink : Muchos gracias, senor! Bwahahahaha!

According to one source, Wikipedia, all five 1913 Liberty Head V Nickels are referred to by individual pedigree, as "Specimens."

Corrections & Amplifications... It is a shame viewers feel compelled to further desecrate a beautiful, classic thread, but when they misstate a few basic facts, I am compelled to speak out. Imprimis, respectfully, no one can place the blame for a stalwart, veteran seasoned member's departure on Henri Charriere. His debut occurred months after Oldhoopstar's untimely demise due to failing health. Quintus Arrius had a begrudging respect for this formidable adversary who notably refused to "ignore" him, or anyone else, or the literary device he deployed, a talking Rooster with a voice all his own. I can only surmise the Website Coordinator intervened personally on his behalf because she was privy to privileged personal information unknown generally to the membership at large at the time. Secondly, no one can presume to speak for the private vs. public thoughts of the deceased. I have read many of musings by those who held him in high esteem and can state unequivocally that my predecessor held him in high regard, as well. With a large numismatic library at his disposal, he could have easily related information posed in queries, but insisted that members, newbies in particular, "look it up." Unlike me and others, he did not discourage sub-par submissions which would only gum of the works and compromise turn-around times, unapologetically asserting it was the cost an uninformed member must incur in furtherance of an education. When Oldhoop spoke, he eschewed the pronoun "I" in favor of "we," exuding the confidence that he acquired in jousts with others over generations of collecting. He was very active, spending decades jumping into the fray with free abandon, here and on other forums. He has been sorely missed and, if alive, would no doubt object to the uncivil language used by some who ought to know better on this thread. I seriously question the motives of those who would attempt to besmirch my reputation and character by resurrecting the specter of a feisty and playful former member. To those watching the clock, NGC routinely conducts a house-cleaning on the first day of the year. By my reckoning, I have 99 days left to clear my desk after my birthday (Constitution Day) next Sunday. Unbeknownst to him, The NN will get his wish.

The Penny Lady and I, and apparently the gentleman hailing from the Great Sovereign State of Alabama, presently, are in complete accord. We have an affinity for cats. Enter the Grand Master and Numismatist of the Year who chimes in, intermittently, with a comment I thought curious. A year and change later, I was presented with something Elbert Hubbard penned as "A Message to Gracia." What to do? I could not post it on the Off-Topic thread; it had been digitally erased and no longer existed. I could not ctc RWB directly via PM as the content was long but more importantly would be of interest to other members who, like me, understood the concept but not the far-reaching consequences where feral cats' activities are making an out-sized impact on the environment. Surprisingly, I was unaware of that. The dispatch provided hard, large numbers. I chose to deliver "A Message to Garcia," to give credence to a notion RWB felt strongly enough about to register a comment concerning a bookend to Charmy's charming thread. Posting entails risk anytime a member elects to broaden, as the late, great Oldhoop put it, the "body of knowledge." I am not smart enough to mask my motive to enlighten the membership with malice aforethought. RWB was vindicated, in measure by my post, as were those who were given some perspective on the genesis of RWB's thoughts. As most members know, I subscribe to the late Lady Brooke Astor's posture to etiquette: "Manners are everything." And if only one of the thousands of hobbyists now understand the basis for RWB's cryptic references, myself included, my contribution was a success though ultimately, as expected, it does not and likely cannot resonate with everyone. I consider ALL members and guests -- even those who've misjudged me harshly --as friends. I believe now, with the air cleared, we have a better understanding of where members stand.

FWIW... I distinctly recall a line from an NGC newsletter, a few days ago, advising they were beginning to work on submissions received on August 9th. I think it safe to say regular submissions are taking at least 30 days. [No one's brought it up yet, but there is more than one submission center as well as a slew of authorized dealers who routinely send in bulk quantities as well.]

Don't be like that. I grew up with cats. I love cats. None were adopted; none were strays; they were simply abandoned. All were male and as The Penny Lady noted, all marked their territory. Invasive species to me are snakehead fish or beetles that bore into trees. If there are feral cats up here in NYC, the feral dogs get them. Besides, if I had wanted to get your goat, I would have reminded you that one of the busier NGC Submission centers overseas is in Shanghai which, last I checked, was still in the heart of mainland Red China.

This just in (yes, a year later): "... Australia 'Declares War' On its Cat Problem." A snippet. "... long recognized as a major threat to the continent's native wildlife.... Invasive species are the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss in Australia, a new U.N. report found this week. And feral cats are the most invasive in the country's landscape, killing an estimated two billion animals per year... [Emphases mine.] (from The Australia Letter," a weekly newsletter from the N.Y. Times' Australia Bureau.)