Henri Charriere

I am a ma-shops patron. My only problem with them is a lack of consistency. If you have a line-up of twenty coins, you would expect a small price disparity for the same coin grade encapsulated by the same TPGS. But, unfortunately, the differential can be $100 in the $500 to $600 range for the same MS grade. Their SEARCH function too, is not user-friendly.

"Hey, hey... the Duke Brothers are trying to corner the market!" . (from Trading Places, 1983, starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Ackroyd)

Briefly, FWIW, one's Set Registry ranking can advance without adding a new date or upgrading an existing one. I distinctly recall being at different rankings amongst the Top Ten here until an upstart shot up to # 1 pushing all sets down. Two sets have since been withdrawn elevating me to # 6.

What you had purchased was what is generally referred to in the publishing industry as a "reviewer's" copy, or complimentary copy of a book ahead of its official release date to authors, other publishing houses and editors who may pass them along to close friends. Your innocent faux pas, committed without malice, revealed an uncomfortable, little-known truth: not all recipients have the time, interest or inclination to read such unsolicited materials and simply pass them on--or sell them to booksellers for 1/4 list price which then sell them at half-price to the public as "reviewer's copies." Many are simply autographed. Others include personal inscriptions accompanied by doodles or drawings. I had always wondered whether such a cringe-worthy moment such as you've described ever happened. It speaks to the character of Mr. Bowers that he set aside what must have been an awkward and embarrassing revelation to respond to your query with professional aplomb.

Based on a recent front- page WSJ article, I'd say something appears to be afoot. I was stunned to learn Gold Rooster melt had risen to $382.89. The lowest price I ever paid for one raw was roughly $275 (converted from euros) and turned out to be, and still is, one of my Top Pops. Gold then was at its lowest point in the past five years since becoming a member (2019) and was r-i-s-i-n-g imperceptively. The lower auctions prices I'd seen I attributed to setting my sights higher with continual upgrading. A glossy 340-page catalog I received from cgb.fr this week had no original G20F GRs listed at any grade and the restrikes all hitting that impenetrable wall at MS-66. If I can snag one more -67, it'll be unlikely anyone will be able to surpass me, and it will cost him dearly. If I can snag two more, their chances are highly improbable. And if I can land three, it will be virtually impossible to attain the # 1 rank I have held for three years. However, as that WINS radio news announcer used to say, "a lot can happen in a little while." I would imagine dealers and investors are pleased, but what effect will higher pricing have on the hobby in the long term?

[Begging both the OP's and Moderators indulgence...] @VKurtB: Far from being off-base, you are on point recognizing the symptoms and arriving at a correct diagnosis. Now, as regarding what appears to be an obsessive-compulsion on my part, herewith some facts: the highest possible grade for the F20FGR -- for those viewers who just tuned in this is over at PCGS -- is 67.313. My #1 ranked set is 65.91. The guy trailing behind me who just updated his magnificent set, is 63.69. And I feel utterly threatened. Some may dismiss this as mere eccentricity. I recognize it for what it is: a socially-acceptable form of mental illness. To revisit the OP's topic query: I feel exactly like a ratchet wrench with no other choice but to move forward. Sad indeed.

To answer your first question, No. Of course not. There are collectors with low-ball sets, but as member z presciently observed, G20F Roosters being bullion did not see much circulation. Non-MS examples have been certified, but the field is sparce. To answer your 2d question, No! I cannot be #2, or less, anymore than you can be nice rather than right.

Lot of interesting stuff here... "it's a matter of waiting long enough for the coins to be offered for sale." You mean like when gold hits $3500 an ounce? Or like when I'm well nigh ninety-nine? "I haven't tried the private sale route -- yet..." "I saw it show up in the NGC census last year and sometimes... but not usually." Or as a distinguished member here put it, in substance: fuhgettaboudit, which I took to mean: not-in-your lifetime. [I would not be surprised if he's got those two MS-68s stashed in a footlocker somewhere.] On the other hand, if they surfaced I wouldn't be able to afford them. Such is life.

If I were to hazard a guess it will be a relative unknown. A person who was cisgender but now identifies as transgender because the numismatic community at large is not ready for anyone who identifies as genderqueer. 🤣

If I may, I should like to break the awkward silence that has ensued in lieu of a rebuttal to a recent post by explaining my own position... Aside from the matter of authenticity which would ordinarily be of paramount importance to a coin collector, I "liked" the coin in question because if it isn't, it still represents an important element: an attempt at interpretation of what its creator envisioned and it is that very "crudeness" that appeals to me and that I find aesthetically interesting and pleasing.

What are you suggesting? No Back on Track? Didn't you read the fine print at the bottom of the life-long contract you signed? When's the last time you heard someone say, "Oh that? We got divorced." Never happened. This hobby (some say infatuation) is no different from street gangs with shot callers (quaintly called moderators trained in de-escalation tactics). It's blood in, blood out. What happened? You found a good candidate for your long-running thread? That was what defined you and gave you your identity and life's purpose. Face it, you're in too deep to turn back now. You're a household name. That's your legacy. As Archie said to his wife: "You done good Edith. You done good."

Patently ridiculous. If that's an approach to problem-solving, mint a few and solve the neighborly dispute between Russia and Ukraine, fund the mission to Mars and solve the problems of those willing to risk life and limb to cross the Rio Grande. If there is anything left over, make it unlawful to drop off feral cats on @RWBs property. 🤣

I should like to bring to the attention of devoted Gold Rooster collectors everywhere the two unobtrusive, little-known, often overlooked anti-counterfeiting devices the French incorporated into the design of this coin. This series ran from 1899 to 1914, but unbeknownst to all but the most observant collector, a barely discernible "torch" was added to the left of the date, while a horn of plenty, or "cornucopia" was placed to its right. The first three in the 16-coin series, 1899, 1900 and 1901-- the 1900 issue is the rarest -- do not bear these features, but all the coins that followed, originals and restrikes alike do as exemplified by the example below.

The title of the topic comes from a contributor to coinupdate.com. who provided pictures for comparison. For members with an interest in interpreting the comparisons made and validating or contradicting the results, to quote Tony Montana: "this is my gift to you." [Note: if anyone knows or remembers what PCI is, or was, by all means broaden our collective body of knowledge.]

This excerpt is deserving of a reply. Jason, what you are describing are the amateurs. I've gone the extra mile issuing APBs, BOLOs, bribes and rewards. I am in my '70s. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Why do people run marathons? Why do people pay 75K (or whatever the prevailing price is for sherpas and expenses) to climb Mount Everest? Anything worth doing is worth doing well. And if I can't be Numero Uno, my set comes off the registry, Pronto. I cannot speak to the motives of others. Completing a set is fine if you were collecting baseball cards in the 1960's, but in coins it is not enough. Being "best" isn't good enough either. As long as there is a certified coin out there somewhere graded finer, your set is not best. Rank? Rank is tentative at best as are Top Pops. So what's good enough? PERFECTION. A complete set of "unique" coins struck for circulation. Capiche?

Well then there is little to be gained by saying they also assumed $92B in deposits, about $173B in loans and $30B in securities. I believe shareholders, etc., lost everything. The only surprise to me was finding out Chase, and not Citibank, is the country's largest and wealthiest bank. Sometimes I get too caught up with collectors wringing their hands over oddities, curiosities and-- I refuse to recognize the widely-accepted term "errors") flaws which, though interesting, do nothing to recognize the fact that when metal meets metal at high speed and great pressure, irregularities are bound to occur.

A reliable old time English-speaking rickshaw [puller] told me the characters for HSBC stand for "Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Company" which opened sometime in the 1860's.

The permutations and combinations, acquisitions and mergers spread out all over the country are endless. HSBC acquired RNY for 9-billion USD.

The only coronas I know are the gold brewed ones popular with Mexicans. The Kreugerrands seemed to always carry a heftier premium.

Goodbye, Republic National Bank. Hello, JPMorgan Chase. Old timers here may recall all the hoopla attending the introduction of the South African 1-oz Kreugerrand in the late 1960's at the bank on Fifth Avenue hard by the New York Public Library's SE corner. With the lack of any real competition, sales of the Kreugerrands soared. Then President Reagan ordered their importation banned due to prevailing apartheid policies. Many dealers and collectors mistook this to mean ownership of them was illegal. The ban lasted 10 years during which time the U.S. Mint introduced its own line of gold coins, including fractionals. In my mind's eye, the bank never recovered and today's news confirms it has been closed and was bought by Chase. The Kreugerrand is still being minted and has even put out a silver version,as has the U.S., but in bullion circles its profile has shrunken considerably.

I could not care less about ups and downs or being optimistic or pessimistic. I have a "complete" set registry to "upgrade," an unattainable goal whether gold is $300. or $3,000. I am goal-oriented. FMV is of no consequence; availability and fortuitous timing are the only things that count in this endeavor. Philosophically, my net worth, as a single individual with no heirs, is zero because I do not derive a penny from its ownership whatever its value, and death is of no moment to me. [How does that work anyway? You save for your retirement, you retire but don't dare touch your assets, expire suddenly--and then go on a spending spree?] Or worse, you're Whittaker, a successful W.Va. businessman worth $17M, win the $315M Powerball, spring for the $113M cash option, back in 2002--and presumably die penniless leaving death, overdoses and destruction behind. Huh? Any idea how many Yap stone coins you could have had for that money? Now, does this mean I do not enjoy the conversation? Not all all. Carry on, gentlemen! 🤣

I shall take the liberty of relaying your gratitude to former members Q.A. and Ricky. I am sure, having been banished to Bakhmut, your kind thoughts will warm the cockles of their heart!

I don't know about Double Eagles, but depending on further developments we may have a Gold Rush. Whether it rivals that of the old 49's or fizzles out as it did at Dahlonega or Charlotte remains to be seen. I am not too concerned because either way it may prompt our on-site Speed Graphic-bearing to investigate the matter personally. 😀

I believe errors of this kind must be held to a different standard. To begin with the silhouettes of the coin, obverse and reverse sides, to not match. Since when do we examine "coins" lacking essential elements? Any reeding and edges are gone. Devices and legends are missing. And yet we expect a less-than-perfect decapitation to be to be graded whilst lacking the most basic elements. Specifications? There aren't any. This is an "error," to which standard grading criteria should not apply. If the OP wishes to keep it, fine. If he wishes to sell it, market demand will determine its FMV.

It's been said it's the people who sold provisions to the prospectors were the ones who really made out fine whether it be by providing food, clothing or shelter. Guess we'll just have to wait to hear what the various mining concerns have to say about it. Their surveyors are pros now what with all the advances having been made in mining techniques since the Gold Rush days.