Henri Charriere

@VKurtB : If my wife sees and hears me ROFLOL from another room she says, "Is that him?" And I say, "YES, IT IS!

Apparently 25% of the coin is bronze, an alloy comprised of copper and tin. The term "high purity" is undefined. In ancient coins I would not expect any silver content to approach must less exceed sterling, .925, but it seems the use of these descriptors by NGC suggests it has access to a device capable of making these determinations.

Improperly stapled? May be one of Ratzie's earliest "under the radar" creations. A Banksy may be nice but an early original Ratzie is priceless. Oh, forgot... you weren't here back then! 🤣

What are the membership numbers of the ANA that would prompt anyone to suggest a single man, toiling deep inside the Archives, has the power and influence to threaten the agenda of a container ship such as what the Association has become, even one degree out of the inertia it's been in for so long that it precipitated a voter drive on this forum? I wish I could be so honored! 🤣

Unasked honest question: Any correlation between the minting of coins for foreign countries and the discovery of U.S. coins struck on foreign planchet? So-called errors? I know that both Hawaii and Puerto Rico had their own coinage, but what was being used in the Phillipines or, for that matter, in U.S. territorial acquisitions like Alaska after it was bought and before it became a state?

See what a little steam-cleaning can do? Nice catch!

[Off the record... I got the heebie-jeebees when the topic came up and the word "suspension" leapt out at me! I said, "What now? I tell you, it ain't easy being me!] 🤣

Never gave it any thought -- not mechanically inclined -- reeks of plausibility.

I suppose I could be hectored into becoming a myrmidon, but my conscience will not permit it. And as shameful and selfish as it may seem, given a choice between being appalled by the antics of passing trolls or being enthralled by the OP's targeted approach to research as set forth in elegant direct prose, I would unhesitatingly choose the latter, but to each his own.

If there were a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for a tidy, letter-perfect topic with breathtaking, beautifully written posts contributing to the body of numismatic knowledge, my one-time nemesis now gone would have considered this one to be a worthy contender.

blast from the past... 🐓 : you know what that means! q.a.: yeah, they've upped the ante... now we're going to have to go out and get three signed copies... all first editions.

Very thoughtful of you to provide a link... now if we can only get the one-time-only consent of the gentleman whose butt (his word) resides in the heart of dixie to enable me to read it with my 30-power lense... Just kidding! 🤣

By my reckoning the beginning of the end of these magnificent pieces occurred, per initial reports, following a then unspecified incident along a motorcade route on an otherwise lovely day in Dallas some six months short of 60 years ago. [This series ran for only 15 years!] INMHO, every Mint State Franklin is worth posting.

I am not qualified to appraise spam, per se, but I would be curious to know if copper bracelets fall under the broad umbrella of quackery like the explosive growth of CBD Gummies all of which contain microprinted disclaimers baldly stating none have an FDA endorsement and no representation is made as to their medical benefits.

Afibs. Yup, I know all about those. 🤣

Ditto the Gold Roosters, of the French 20-Franc persuasion. 🤣

Sad to say, but correctional officers routinely earn double the salaries (compensation package-wise) than teachers do in New York City. Shows you the value placed on education. And unbeknownst to the vast majority of your average college student, some "adjunct" professors are not compensated at all, with the attitude of some institutions being THEY profit from the honor and prestige of being affiliated with them. Excuse moi! Strong administrative management and leadership skills are called for.

This thread is instructive in the fickle ways of Moderation. No complaints from anyone about an artful and apparently successful attempt to revive a FOUR YEAR-OLD-plus thread. It's all in the presentation and reception by the membership.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS! [Your post is glaringly riddled with spelling errors and a distractingly glaring lack of punctuation. The copper cent exhibits signs of seafarer's disease--malignant tertiary malaria, the estivo-autumnal variety due to plasmodium falciparum. I don't know the applicable formal numismatic term for the condition but it is irreparably harmed. As the prognosis is self-evident, I won't speculate on its value. (It is a shame Oldhoop' isn't around to chastise me for this post. He remains sorely missed.)]

I am notoriously inept at grading. (In fact, my wife and I cannot even agree on lunch.) 🤣

[It's a shame my wife's cell, by comparison, did not include this device. I wouldn't'v'd to change my User Name--and I could have saved myself and an army of moderators a lot of irritation, aggravation, expulsions and deportations.] My Ikes are not special like yours. I gave one to a Chinese lady collecting recyclables. She kissed my hand and bowed deeply. I was very humbled...

To the membership: But, but... what about the part about finding the penny (actually a "cent") under a 120-year old house? [I am beginning to feel like Henry Fonda in that 1957 classic, "12 Angry Men."] So the house dates back to about 1903 and a 194[3] copper cent was found lying under it presumably for no longer than 80 years, if lost when brand-new. That would certainly explain the extensive PMD, or post-mint damage, such as corrosion and pitting resulting in weight loss. As it stands, there is only one thing that would save the day [though a gentleman from Virginia might vociferously object] and that is if it were found wrapped inside of a page of a local newspaper dated no earlier than Jan. 1, 1943. The defense rests.

Don't forget a decent shot of the edge (not rim) for the rather vocal Chinese anti-counterfeit league members with lifetime memberships.

Well, to borrow a phrase from the pit bosses, "I'm from Missouri. He'll have to Show Me!" 🤣

His name does not appear on any ballot now--and Chat Board Guidelines explicitly forbid any mention of his (or anyone else's) name ostensibly for political purposes--but the man you want who is eminently qualified to take numismatics in an entirely new, self-sustaining direction for the benefit of all, hobbyists as well as the public at large, is presently a sleeper and a real L-O-N-G shot who'll very likely lose the consequential November election to come. Without substantive support from key, influential sources in Washington, D.C., no one candidate on the ANA ballot can be expected to effect meaningful change. If what you've written is the way you feel, members ought to pay heed because you have the extensive legislative experience to, pardon the street slang, "back the woof."