Henri Charriere

Relying solely on my certified negative three (-3) I.Q. and wary of the OP releasing a daisy cutter over my already rublle-strewn neighborhood, I should like to put this matter to rest as the Attica Commission noted 50+ years ago, "firmly and with finality." I say more evidence has been produced in support of the case of the existence of an "SMS" set than has been produced for the Loch Ness fella. What don't we know about them other than some members violently disagree with the usage of the designation? Nothing. Now if you commit the ultimate sacrilege and break up a set formerly in its OGH, sorry, but all bets are off. (I do not know if Sandon has ever engaged in such conduct personally, but speaking with authority that discourages debate, I would be inclined to accept his word unchallenged.) This topic has been bandied about long enough. That decision, ultimately, however, is Flying Al's to make.

Postscript: FWIW... I believe one of the two major TPGSs routinely photograph all coins submitted to them and equip each slab with a computer chip. I wrote asking whether it was possible to photograph half the certified slabs in my Set Registry if I sent them in, and was told yes. I received a swift assurance that submission was not necessary because photos of all coins are taken and copies (visual I assume) are already available for a fee. I do not know what NGC's policy is as regarding the Topic at hand, but agree re-certification and re-encapsulation is an unavoidable necessity..

If I may I should like to respond, helpfully. To my knowledge, this topic had been addressed on two prior occasions. Why those members, who got valid responses and do not appear to be interested in sharing them with another member, is beyond me. All I can say is each TPGS has its own criteria and classification system.. Since it is not possible to view your set, formally, on a Set Registry, I cannot render a conclusion without doing a little comparison shopping. *** *** A 1933 SG DE is out there somewhere. There are 3 types of such.sets on the West coast, and EC, its owner, ranks # 1 in two. Focusing on the Type 3, With Motto, MS, 1908-1933, there are 844 of 2500+ sets, and he has accumulated 657,255 points. Here is the forbidden question: How many points was his coin, an MS-65, awarded? (Yes, this is a trick question made trickier by the fact one of the two TPGS notes: "15-20 known.") I Iike sets that hew to the same grade line. My 🐓 set, presently ranked # 7, at MS-66, is not possible to complete because the grade I arbitrarily chose is not available for half the earlier dates. (As noted by the distinguished numismatist, z, this does not mean they do not exist; they simply have not been certified and hence, do not appear on any population/census report.) I wish I knew the answer to your question but the fact is there are a multiplicity of factors considered beyond date and grade. Some are "Top Pop," rarity/scarcity, and, irrespective of all those, whether your set(s) are complete. I could have "completed" both sets if I had the guts to waive the self-imposed, 66-or-else requirement, and more importantly, if the East coast-West coast (factions) combatants had a sit-down and resolved there differences amicably allowing the inclusion of their competitor's World Gold coins in their respective Set Registries. 🐓 : Thanks for not BUMPING this post!

I listen to you because you deal with this on a daily basis. Even a "Rising Star" like me, here only 5 years (with jail time credit for that trip to Vladivostok, courtesy NGC) 🤣 understands mortality and borrowed time. My advice to those in my predicament (70 years, and older) is get down to brass tacks to avoid unanticipated developments which, fortunately for you, would be beyond your understanding. I am not a doctor so I cannot help you, except give you advice: seek out a money manager -- and look both ways before you cross the street.

Welcome to the Forum! I believe you are now the record holder for the shortest interval ever recorded for becoming a member, signing in and posting a comment! Now, to a satisfactory answer to your question. Firstly, it is a beautiful coin. But without the encapsulation and certification number, it would appear that -- credible explanation, notwithstanding -- you would have to "re"submit the coin for "re"certification unless someone in NGC Ancients, relying on institutional memory, can conclusively ID the coin with photos in their database. That's simply my guess. Without the numismatic accoutrements, your coin has reverted to raw status. And that means recertification, and every thing that entails. To be fair, I believe you should wait to see what some of our more experienced members have to say. Good luck!

Not at all surprising you would mention the one word the seasoned veterans have thus far assiduously avoided: AGE. Perfectly understandable. They intend to live forever. And the mere possibility that their work ethic may fail to coincide with their progeny has never crossed their minds. What happens to motivation when the vaunted goal has already been realized, many times over, and handed over on a silver platter to those who share your passion to the extent they represent $$$ signs, and little else? Examples abound in life. I have my plans. You have yours. And unlike many others, we will benefit each in our own way. I plan to present my collection, unannounced, to my then rookie attorney who accepted my case gratis and was "persuaded" to acquiesce to higher-ups to accept a settlement in lieu of my desire to decimate my slumlord into bankruptcy for standing up for what JB quaintly referred to once as the "downtrodden," i.e., those who were unaware they had rights as set forth in leases owing to their unfamiliarity with the English language and inability to deal with a dozen city agencies, their inspectors and engineers. My collection did not cost me a dime; I hope you realize top dollar in selling yours and wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Congratulations on maintaining your thread whose chief value lay in introducing coins to those who otherwise never would have seen them.

Not exactly. What you have managed to do is refresh my recollection that it was fun at one time and that was in my youth, seemingly a century ago. So what changed everything? Lots of things. Collecting was much simpler years ago. You went out and bought a coin album and filled it with coins found In change. You basically can no longer do that. When silver was withdrawn from circulation, it was replaced with play money: clads, and the ultimate insult: proof clads. As far as I am concerned, anything that is not real -- the once proud Lincoln cent with wheat ears, quarters vending machines would never rejectt, the entire dollar coin series beginning with an overbearing Ike, half dollars which are not made for circulation and aerial anachronisms like two-dollar bills that are interesting to own but no shopkeeper has a space for in their tray -- has no collector value. Ever drop one of the newfangled coins on the floor? No pleasant ring. Only a thud. Instant validation that you do not have the "real thing." As with anything else, there are exceptions. Then to revitalize the market, TPGS sprung up. A scaling system was adopted. On the Mint State side, extreme distictions arose and with them, values. So we all have brand-new coins, but "mine is better than yours -- and in many instances, worth twice as much as yours. Yeah, barrels of fun. My feeling about MS-69s differs from yours. To me, it represents nothing more than an A-minus on a school report. It implies "it's better than most, perhaps, but not best. Quiet is kept, I would just as soon settle for a low-ball that is accepted for what it is and has become. Registry Sets are fine until the upgrading fever gets the better of you. I canceled my subscription to Heritage Auctions when they sent me a notification that fully 13 coins met my WANT LIST requirements. (I collect one of eleven of the French 20-francs series.) What they sent me were coins from other countries bearing standard catalog numbers which bore no resemblance to mine and the ultimate insult: lower mint state grades. There are only a few places in the world that sell top shelf coins in my series, so I notify them, and sit back and wait. Fun? Fun is Coney Island. You know who's going to have a barrel of laughs? All the Ignorers, doubting Thomas's and Debbie downers who find out I stuffed U.S. currency into an envelope, stuck a stamp outside and mailed it without knowing if the item will be in stock when it gets there from someone I never met, spoke to or sent a previous text to. I am a risk-taker and although a dozen things can go wrong, one or two may, and my many detractors will savor the experience of seeing me laughed right off the Forum. Yep, collecting is a lot of fun...

Awhile further back, PCGS introduced Near Field Technology, an embedded computer chip as a deterrent to counterfeiting and assisting collectors with questions concerning authenticity of the encapsulated product. Att @physics-fan3.14 : You will be pleased to learn Quintus Arrius and his coterie of trolls have departed the premises. Welcome back!

It may not seem like that to the average e-Bay user, but you do have options -- and your own strategies that work developed over time and experience. The first option is obvious: a sale price. (Now there is an installment plan as well.) First come, first served. The choice is yours. The second option is: bidding on an item. A minimum is established as well as a time line. The progression proceeds on an incremental scale, e.g., from $200.to $225., and up, until expiration which is usually within one week. The third option is, Or Best Offer (OBO). This is akin to telling you this seller wants to get as much as he can, but an offer of 50% of the sale price is inadvisable and unrealistic. Try what you feel would work. There are a few strategies I have devised. Waiting until the last day, the last hour and the waning minutes can work unless someone has pre-bid a lot higher, anonymously. Many times, being impatient (in my case, with French 20-francs gold roosters) I would take the bid, if $0.00, and reset it at gold melt to weed out the non-contenders and study the progression of serious principals. I have placed bids successfully with only ten seconds remaining on the clock. Your greatest success may occur in the wee hours of the morning when fewer people are awake placing bids. One point I should like to emphasize is sell prices may seem "take it or leave it," but early on I would contact the seller with a modest 5% to 10% off and immediate payment if they would accept it. Many do, and have. Recently, I bought a token by using a different tack. I plausibly explained to the seller that his example, many finer examples of which I claimed I owned and bought for less, was cleaned using two different methods (representing I knew more than he did) and suggested a FMV of 25% off his sale price, which he accepted immediately. It was a strong strike with strikingly distinct denticles which I would be happy to post on JB's thread after examining it more closely in hand to see if there is some way of enhancing its color safely with a short safe bath. Please feel free to share your approaches to buying on e-Bay. Bear in mind, some kid in Nebraska, relying on logarithms, may deny your winning bid falsely claiming the problem is not on their end (PayPal) but yours. I found that out the hard way when I bid on a giant gorgeous Mexican 50-peso, 1.2 t z coin described as an "heirloom" -- the seller's other merchandise included no coins whatsoever -- was denied me because PP determined it did not fit my "buying pattern." It was 2 a.m. Sunday morning. What could I do? I walked into my bank on Monday and a platform assistant assured me there was nothing wrong with my account. (I already knew that.) But enough about me, what about your thrills of victory and agonies of defeat? The floor is open!

🐓: I hope the OP doesn't mind, but ---- Q.A.: ---- I AM THE OP... speak up! 🐓: I don't get why that was the "wrong answer." You yourself said without him watching from the wings, you're nothing. And French petit fours are pastries! What's that got to do with anything? Q.A.:. I have no idea. Strut around and see what you can find out. Right now I've got that greeting card on my mind. If it doesn't go thru, Uncle z's premonition comes true. No more forum! No more chatboard! No more nothing! It's back to a Hard-Knock Life! 🐓: Your wish, sire, is my command. (I hope he knows what he's doing...)

This is an example of the epitome of numismystique My crime is I have STEPPED on toes. You have BUMPED threads ( and others have begun to do so, too.) Seriously, there is method to their madness. Malheureusement, separating rhyme from reason is not one of my stronger points. (That sounds a whole lot better than saying I failed STATISTICS six times in a row... consecutively.)

As long as I have you, I don't need anyone else.

Certifiably miscellaneous and a fine autobiographical example of a defense mechanism: projection.

When I scan listings for 🐓's from sellers who are so preoccupied they fail to take note that gold melt exceeds their coins' presumably FMV, I contact them in the space provided for that purpose. Minor fluctuations are normal. It's times of sustained volatility where prices rise measurably in noticeable increments that attract my attention. No seller I extended that gratuitous courtesy to has failed to thank me profusely.

I believe it was Alexander Woollcott, a regular at the Algonquin Hotel's Round Table who famously dismissed a clueless comment a "critic" wrote as positively "miscellaneous." Maybe it's you who ought to get out more...

🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓

(Looks like hanukkah is coming early this year!) 🤣

Ditto! 🐓

Once, just once, I would like to hear a set registrant's answers to these questions about earnings, dividends and preferential gains treatment. Let's limit the field to the heavyweights: Saints. There are 576 such collectors here (granted, many owned by a single collector) and 1194 sets (again, many owed by one collector "over there.") We are talking about a total of 1170. Never mind the other denominations and any loose coins, here or elsewhere. So what's the point of all this collecting if everyone is simply walking down the up escalator? Gold rooster collectors, too. There are 13 sets here; 83 "over there," 96 total. That's the part I don't get. Gold is over $3,000 z. Silver breached $30 z. Copper was up to $5/lb. But we lost our way. Now if I'd've chain-smoked cigarettes, drank liters of whiskey and sniffed, shot snorted or smoked dope, I would be above reproach. If I held gold, I am okay, but not too smart, investment wise. Must mean I wasn't raised right. 🤣

TRANSLATION: @World Colonial WAS INTUITIVELY CORRECT IN EVERYTHING HE HAS SAID TO DATE... and, to my personal knowledge, as regarding his comments published on this site, he has never boasted, bragged, belittled others, exaggerated, embellished, embroidered, or uttered any statements that cannot be substantiated. His complete transparency allows viewers to assess the member, his areas of interest in coins and modest admissions in his disappointments as well as triumphs. If you were to ask me something about this collector, a flood of information surfaces -- all of it not only plausible and credible -- but resounding with the ring of truth. Ask your average member about the subject of this inquiry and, like a former president, you will be deluged with superlatives and goaded into providing more general information. Your response will most closely resemble the following emoji: Re: GOLD: sad to say but for those who are younger, your best strategy would be to wait and see. You can afford to take risks. Regular purchases at intervals to diversify your portfolio is a wise approach; otherwise Buy Low and Sell High. Do not predicate any course of action you choose to engage in solely on the strength of the muted bark of a junkyard dog enamored of a hermit crab-like approach to fellow members conducted in absolute secrecy. To my knowledge, the Mukhabarat, if active, has no jurisdiction in the United States.

Following is a distillation of five years' experience as an active chat board participant which I would like to share with you to enhance your experience here whether you are new, an amateur part-time collector or a seasoned professional numismatist. 1. First and foremost, Please read the Guidelines of conduct expected on the Board and consult the Subforums to better acquaint yourself with "Basic Resources" and "What you should know" (WYSK) about coins and coin collecting. 2. Resist the impulse to jump in. (Attendees of self-help groups, those engaged in courtship -- and patients recovering from major surgery are advised to avoid making important decisions for various lengths of time, and for good reason.) Chat Board participation is no different. As you navigate the boards, certain coins or coin problems will resonate with you. My advice: resist the impulse, temptation or compulsion to join in. Familiarize yourself with the Boards, paricipating members and the context of posts first. 3. GET TO KNOW THE PLAYERS! Rightly or wrongly, the forums are a one-room schoolhouse. They are comprised of the young and old, the experienced and inexperienced, the novice ("Newbie") and the seasoned veteran professional. Remember, first impressions count! And the impression and reputation you develop will follow you, for better or worse, for the duration of your membership. 4. Cultivate a positive attitude and personality. To the extent you can, adhere to the standards of proper English, grammar and spelling. 5. The Guidelines are key and should be referred to as needed. Avoid feeding into cantankerous exchanges, outright hostility, personal slights or insults. If you do encounter it, "report" it. You can do this by engaging the three small vertically arranged "dots" located at the top, right-hand side of every post. Press on all three, one of which is "report" and briefly describe your problem. The "report" you make will be reviewed when it is received. You may not respond to any violation you may perceive on the Chat Board directly, whether directed to you or others. 6. If you come across a Topic which exhibits a coin and an anomaly much like yours, do not post yours on the thread that follows so as not to confuse viewers. Very often, threads focused on one coin will cause consternation to those following the thread resulting in confusion and effectively "derailing" the thread. You are encouraged to start your own thread. 7. Avoid hit-and-run posts by referring viewers to sites which promote your own interests, or others, for financial gain. The only proper place to sell or trade coins is the Topic: "Coin Marketplace." Posts which promote commercial ventures like research are violative of the Guidelines, fly in the face of ethics and will be reported and removed. 8. Lengthy dissertations lauding a member's most recent acquisition may be addressed succinctly by tapping the appropriate emoji. 9. At times, you may finish writing a post, press SEND, only to see your work disappear. Not to worry. Your post may have been enveloped in a backlog which the Moderators are attending to. One of three things may have happened if you revisit the Topic and tap the space your post formerly occupied: a). your post was rejected; b). your post was accepted but no longer quite fits in within the progression of what may have become a heated, usually fast-moving thread, and the matter, having been addressed, you can tap the x meaning "Clear Editor," or c). your post had been cleared, held for your review and only requires you tap the x on the extreme right to be followed by your pressing send, for posting. 10. If the names of all the regulars, their areas of interest, their likes, pecking order (alliances) confuse you, you may wish to keep a scorecard. It will go a long way to to helping you understand Who' Who, their likes and dislikes, who the contenders are, where they are from, whether they are working or retired, and, while technically all are members -- to post you must be a member -- some are more so than others. Remember, we are all human and come from all walks of life. We also have our good days and bad. It's best not to take things personally. If you wish to contact a member, you may wish to "private message" the person directly via PM, if that member makes that option available. Look for the "envelope" which may be engaged by simply tapping their name on any post. The longest-running threads appear first. Members are encouraged to introduce or maintain topics that are based on numismatic themes. In closing, Happy Hunting and Good Luck! -Henri Charriere, 5/17/2024

To the collector who once asked, here, or likelier, elsewhere; What does MA in MA-SHOPS stand for? herewith an explanation of one of NGC's main sponsors; "MA-SHOPS is an online MArketplace that sells coins through a network of European coin dealers. "It was founded in 2005 by Joachim Schweining and is headquartered in Germany. MA-SHOPS offers one million coins.:

@Sandon : This is the first coin of my birth year I have ever seen. Talk about eye appeal! Simply beautiful! (It's too bad our recently departed, long-time collector, D.L Lange, was never able to acquire a silver or gold bar of his year of birth from the S.F. branch mint) Great find!

🐓 : IF YOU DECEND INTO MADNESS (... uncle z has long ago said you've exceeded the point of return long ago) AND DABBLE INTO FRACTIONAL OWNERSHIP OF COINS, WHICH PART OF ME WILL YOU CHOOSE TO OWN? Q.A. : THAT'S EASY... NOT THE GOOD OR BETTER PART, BUT THE BEST PART. I HAVE TO MINIMIZE MY LIABILITY. Then again, my disposition changes without notice. 🤣

🐓: Spot GOLD is $2,420/z as of today, May 17, 2024. All have my express permission to call this development whatever they will. 🤣