Henri Charriere

The sales tax ain't gonna solve the trillion-dollar never- ending debt crisis, but according to one member's calculations, a $100,000 "contribution" from each American might. 🤣 Back on Track: Rounding, up or down, as a seasoned member has suggested, ought to solve that. After all, it all even outs in the end.

I have never seen a coin in my series grade below Mint State, athough they do exist: F20FG 🐓. It was raw and also love at first sight. I submitted, with seven.others, fully expecting it to come in at an unprecedented MS-68. It bore a MS-64+ grade and, because I forged ahead at full throttle, and though I acquired three with the same date and quickly decided that half of my set would hew to the -67 line, I never entered it into my Set Registry. There are various ways of accommodating upgraded coins. Many collectors sell theirs to move up the ranks and retain only those they cannot bear to part with. Others who are set registrants, use their upgraded examples to begin new sets. One enterprising collector has done something I have not seen anyone else do: devote each coin he has acquired to a member of his extended family, over a dozen in all. Currently, his highest ranking set comes I n at #4.

Interestingly, unmentioned by all, but quite meaningful to me, the total number of grades accorded that date ASE was 97,215, no doubt having exceeded mile marker 100,000 since. And we haven't even broached the subject of First Strikes, signed First Strikes, Top Ten Strikes (only kidding, but you get the idea).

[So quickie divorces in the Dominican Republic and Alabama for less bureaucratic marriages. Good to know now that I'm on the cusp of The Seven-Year Itch."] 🤣

Would all cents now extant, become rarer? No. The mintages would remain the same unless copper became a strategic metal, reducing supply via melts, or vast unknown older hoards were discovered. Varieties and errors would continue to be identified but their supply, as always, would remain relatively static and limited. As one of the few coin collectors who strongly feels the one-cent piece serves no useful purpose, there would be little point in discussing their faux counterparts of the late 20th and early 21st century. What's your take on this inevitability?

The gatekeepers of the numismatic community [I prefer to think] were elevated by popular demand. They engage in a symbiotic relationship with others of similar professional inclinations. The parasites require clever advertising and willing hosts. Some, unknowingly, may be in league with them but they don't last in a hobby where vigilant members shine a strong light on them. The longevity of the Mark Salzburgs and the late D.W. Lange are oftentimes overlooked. It is the duty of every member irrespective of area of concentration to maintain the integrity of the hobby whether by writing or raising the hue and cry.

I would expect any comparatively heavy coin introduced into circulation to bear signs of combat fatigue most of which is the work of an otherwise mysterious individual bearing monogrammed apparel labeled PMD in dark blue Gothic font. The more experienced numismatists among us will, understandably, champ at the bit to get to the bottom of this. Not me. You have inadvertently joined the ranks of those who received a proof coin in change. That is in and of itself quite an achievement and the ultimate "error." Welcome to the Forum!

The socially-acceptable term for one manifestation of this is "coin collecting," an enjoyable hobby at first, that imperceptibly morphes into an all-consuming effort to fill every hole with a suitable coin--for no other reason than because it's there.

BLAST FROM THE PAST... 🐓 : that was a cold shot! ... rat or rooster? Q.A. it's okay... the gentleman has showered us with undeserved affection and adulation and paid us the ultimate accolade re our compilation on the west coast... Back on Track... a born and bred grader has billed it well within the mint state hierarchy. That implies no wear and if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.

Images by CrazyHoundDog. NGC MS-67.

Blast from the past... Q.A.: I will be sure to let Ricky the Rooster 🐓 know a vacancy has developed in the upper tier. The truth is there is little substitute for knowledge and experience. His writings were truly informative and inspirational. He will be sorely missed.

No big secret here for me. After I acquire one or more coins cementing my P--- compilation as virtually unsurpassable, I will, without notice (or tax credit consideration) appear unannounced at an office and request the receiver direct it to the person named as addressee. I would prefer that person, unchosen by me as of yet, will keep it intact for no other reason than to spare anyone what I had to go through in assembling it. As a practical matter, what he chooses to do with it or why, is none of my business. While I have the paperwork for every coin I acquired, the collection's valuation is of no interest to me. I am not selling it, I am giving it away. At present, there are now 12 set registrants of my series, or to put it another way, there are nearly six times as many collectors here as there are over there. Was mine a case of obsessive-compulsion run amok? Indubitably. The pleasure was all mine. (Edited to reflect the fact that there are presently 70 set registrants of French 20-franc gold roosters at NGC as opposed to PCGS's 12, many of whom, as here, are no.longer active.)

Legitimate query, but I am going to plead the Fifth on it, and do so politely.

Will that restore the value of this damaged coin back to one cent?

I believe the best people to consult would be those who are engaged in this activity, book preservation, actively on a professional bssis. That means NARA, The Library of Congress and the New York Public Library for starters. The NYC's Municipal Archives which stores the city's earliest maps and documents--even the branch of the New York Public Library's (or the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office branch should be able to supply useful leads. Any person, society, institution or library, public or private, ought to be very helpful in this regard. They are charged with maintaining detailed maps of each of the five outer boroughs before they consolidated in 1898 (before the Brooklyn Bridge was built) to become the City of New York. The introduction of coins complicates the matter somewhat but these are the people intimately involved in preserving historical objects of significance on a daily basis. My feeling is they would be delighted to display their skills developed over time and experience. Who knows, maybe your Eureka! moment will allow your better half to allow you to attend Orlando F.U.N. with her blessing. 🤣

Anyway, you look at it, apparently without a public notice, that was great detective work on your part.

Speaking strictly as a member who has experienced expulsions and deportations, I believe it safe to say context and period are key in determining acceptability. The thrust of your comment is historical and therefore permissible.

Actually, there was. There must be something awfully important about the "missing" 500 coins that would prompt a research scientist to feel 6, going on 7 years, sitting in a detention facility is definitely worth his while. After all, tons of coins were recovered. Side note: To the present owner of the largest silver bar recovered from the shipwreck, dubbed "Excalibur," if Lady Luck allows me to realize my life-long dream, philanthropy, I will be well-positioned to make you an offer for the artifact you can't refuse. 🤣

Member @VKurtBnot surprisingly, ups the ante. No one can pay him to avail himself of the service. My approach is more analytical. To begin with, I do not believe any one person should be able to exercise that kind of power and influence particularly on a subjective matter -- coming up with an opinion that simply occurs to him. I know tasteful toning when I see it, and eye appeal is strictly in the eye of the beholder. And what about reconsideration and and appeal? If performed by JA, would that not constitute a conflict of interest? No, I guess I don't see the appeal in the piecemeal approach. IMNSHO, it's either all or none. Either all your coins are so stickered, or none of them are. One or two implies all the others in a compilation are lacking in something. It's as much a distraction as mixing mint state coins with proofs. It just ain't done. 🤔

First time I've seen one of these... an "incognito" strike... 🤣

This topic arose when another member proposed something I had never considered: he would sell his collection(s) with the explicit proviso that the coins comprising his set(s) not be sold intact as a single compilation. My question to the membership is pointedly clear: what are your thoughts, if any, as to the FINAL DISPOSITION of your set? Intact, individually, or indifferent?

Grade credit: NGC MS-66 5FS: Images by CrazyHoundDog.

If my life depended on decoding this, I would lose it. Instead, let's dispense with the preliminaries... The pesos, minted in the U.S. and dated 1903 to 1906 had a silver content "equal to the Morgan dollar" and, like the Morgan, were comprised of 90% silver and 10% copper. *** Colorado became a state in 1876, the same year the telephone was invented. Shipping costs? Air mail was not yet available. The first flight was in 1903, only months earlier. The dot over the "v" on top is a mystery, as is the single quotation mark. We are left with 2.08 j n c "is" 3 (open "g" or "y") x.

I believe the fact that the term "wear," as cavalierly thrown about, would justify your appraisal on the merits. Since when does the numismatically-loaded term "wear" as wielded by licensed graders enter into a discussion about any Mint State coin? I am afraid there is an insurmountable conflict of interest between coin sellers and coin buyers. And contrary to the OP's opening post, no member can prove another member wrong. We can simply offer a second opinion. Ultimately, scattershot terminology notwithstanding, it is a TPGS' opinion that counts and what they are primarily interested in is strike, state of preservation, luster, color and attractiveness--a somewhat subjective variable commonly called eye appeal. I had a 1937 Buffalo Head nickel which was a dead ringer for the 1938 example exhibited above. I gifted it to a friend who submitted it and was kind enough to post the verdict: MS-66. If the OP forked over $15. for his coin, it is likely he got what he paid for and formal grading would be superfluous and a bit uneconomical, but that is a choice only he can make.

But, but... maybe they looked and were unable to find anything.