Henri Charriere

I suppose an inference could be drawn that the grade MS-65 may be interpreted to mean GEM, but PCGS does not explicitly state so. [Maybe MS-65 is simply buoyant numismystique for GEM]. The only troubling aspect to me is why someone at PCGS didn't get on the horn to the submitter and propose, for an additional nominal fee, removal of those unsightly bird droppings on and about 11, 12 and 3 o' clock on the reverse. (If it's any consolation, the same coin graded by the same TPG, at MS-64 can be had from Iccoins on eBay, presently, for the princely sum of $1,254. But my lying eyes insist it is no bargain with wear, yes, WEAR quite apparent all over the coin.) No one I know would bequeath a descriptor such as the highfalutin MS-65 on this coin, but then again, I've only been in the hobby for sixty years.

It's funny how Set Registry requirements limit one's interests, particularly in this series. There isn't a single hole devoted to patterns, proofs, piedforts, varieties, errors, curiosities or oddities of any kind. Consequently, I don't pursue them. The 9,443 proofs? They went poof! I would not even know who to see to inquire about them.

The official mintage runs of both the Originals [1899-1906] and Restrikes [1907-1914] are common knowledge among collectors. They total roughly 117,500,000 pieces. It is not known how many survived meltings and export, and prices only begin to tell part of the story. Of interest are the 9443 proofs dated 1900, the scarcest date which were minted along with regular circulation strikes in 1900, the scarcest date in the series of which only 615,000 were made (though I have neither seen nor heard of a Proof offered for sale in the past four years.) Inexplicably, the latest edition of the French Red Book [Monnaies Francaises, 2021] fails to acknowledge their existence entirely.

13 heads; 12 tails. What gives?

Unfortunately, the newer generations coming up, who appear incapable of expressing a complete thought with correct spelling and appropriate punctuation in a non-run-on sentence----preferring Twitter to tweet their thoughts via abbreviated sound bites----would require an influencer to make that decision for them. Maybe these New and Improved X-slabs can be marketed as the next Pet Rock, endorsed by [you fill in the name].

[I resent the inference that I, moi, as it were, am a "deadbeat." As one occasionally distracted by an unwieldy portfolio in stocks, bonds, real estate--an 1894-O Barber dime (PO-1) not a few zinc cents and wooden nickels in splended condition, to boot, appraised in aggregate at mythical millions, I believe it perfectly understandable that as an alleged collector, I may inadvertently overdraw my account, from time to time, now and again.]

Serendipitous discovery! This is the first I heard of Stack's previous address, as gleaned from the photo you provided: No. 12 West 46th Street. Today (no, I didn’t hop on a train. I cheated, and let Google's streetcam do the work for me) I found out that street number no longer exists! Instead, there are two office buildings on the site (right around the corner from Diamond Row, West 47th Street) absorbed by lot numbers 10, 14 and 16. My only question: If one had been sold, what was the price realized (and did the highest bidder insist the merchandise be delivered unencapsulated)?

There is only one thing that stands in the way of re-implementing a tried and true concept... F-I-N-A-N-C-I-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N. No vaccine developed to date has been found to be effective against this insidious scourge.

Q.A.: I don't believe gold was ever discussed. The only memorable line I recall hearing, going way back, was "Jane, you ignorant s---." 🐓: That wasn't Huntley-Brinkley! That was Jane Curtin and Dan Ackroyd on SNL's Point-Counterpoint! And you call yourself an investor!... *** Judging by the names of qualifying dealers expected to traffick in NGCX slabs, it is clear the target audience in the new year will be younger collectors new to the hobby. I am congenitally ill-equipped and, quite frankly, disinclined from re-calibrating my horse-and-buggy era mind to accommodate a newfangled grading system. And I don't collect any of that other stuff either. Time to get down to basics. My sole New Year's resolution will be to divest myself of all collectibles save for the one's displayed in my east coast-west coast set registries.

Q.A.: Uh-oh! Dem's fightin' words! 🐓: 'Guy hasn't even been here a week! Then again, you were the same way, Q, when you joined up.

I may be the Rooster guy but I know a key date when I see it ! Nice.

They can flood the market with rubbish, but the discerning eye will always seek out the classics. A good product doesn't need hype. It sells itself.

Deuce an' a half "Denvers" Pristine clean; original mint luster; smiling denticles. Win, win, win!

Exactly. I couldn't buy it because the kid who runs the logarithms in eBay's Nebraska security bunker refused to give me the clearance to make the purchase and lied to me saying the bank was the problem. I was the winning bidder but the real problem is I had no bidding history with which they could judge prior purchases. When the party demanded payment, I explained to them tho I had the money, eBay refused to process it. He denounced me as a scammer living in a smammer's neighborhood. On Monday, I went to my bank which promptly advised there had never been a problem. The seller promptly canceled my order and winning bid, but I have never let bygones be bygones with eBay or PayPal.

I don't have any enemies I am aware of. You know what that means. I am dead and stinking.

Now we're getting somewhere. You nailed it! I do not relish the thought of critiquing any coin a member has invested a lot of time and effort in, particularly post-acquisition, but you have expressed my thoughts with accuracy and sensitivity. My own personal favorite piece never made it into any set registry so I wholeheartedly agree it all boils down to how a coin speaks to the individual collector. As Archie Bunker would say, "You done good Walkerguy, you done good!"

And, depending on one's point of view, the 1947 Mexico 50-Pesos (gold) Centenario, which if memory serves, was one of the larger troy ounce-plus bullion coins produced.

This thing is looking better and better every time I see it! I want to change my vote! Where's @leeg? HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

@FlyingAl: 'tis a shame indeed one must go back decades to procure a product produced by the USG worth having...

FWIW: The French 20-franc gold rooster (an early form of gold bullion with a gold content of less than a fifth of a troy ounce) has always been recognized as a Modern World Gold Coin. They were minted from 1899 to 1914.

Perhaps "exponentially" is a bit optimistic, but actually, neither. There are currently 64 sets of French 20-franc gold roosters on the NGC Set Registry. (Of that number, 46 are shown.) When I first lurked about this Forum, there were a third as many sets registered, an assertion supported by a spot-check of the "set history" clocks featured in every set, as well as my own memory. By contrast, there are still no more than 10 sets registered at PCGS, and that number was perhaps half that when I began my ascension in 2019. There are clearly more collectors of Roosters now, than at any time in third-party grading's recorded history. [DISCLAIMER: In the event member Great z, seasoned veteran, takes issue with anything I have stated, as set forth above, his assessment is controlling as I am duty-bound to abide by his pontificating in all things numismatic.] 😉

You've done your homework, no doubt about it, but what is the correlation between MS-62 and an OGH for a coin dated 1871? Why is it I have always thought OGH means straight out of the hopper and into a holder? "Third most common Seated Dollar," huh? Those are some mighty strong hands out there! Looks like you are committed. Maybe you ought to revise your handle now to "Seatedfan." Incidentally, while I am 100% behind your decision to act decisively, I do not like the coin. I am by no means knowledgeable on this series, but thanks to viewers who've weighed in elsewhere on related threads, I do know where to look on the Seated Liberty model and do not like what I see. I am somewhat rattled by the overall ambiguous surface presented by this----by definition----"wear-free" coin.

What site, mate? Been up all nite looking for this! Why all the hush-hush? Now it's Thanksgiving... and I'm still getting reamed over a rim!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

While I can't speak for Saints, I can attest to the fact that the number of Rooster set registrants has increased exponentially. Only problem is, with the exception of a few, they all hit an invisible wall. Half the set is easy-peasy; the other half is deceptively difficult. I have a feeling, and I am no exception, set registrants do not sit down and take a sober reflection of exactly what they are getting themselves into. Something about a coin or perhaps the series intrigues them and they go all in like "Jeopardy James." There's no dissuading them. They do the best they can within their means and let the chips fall where they may. For some, it is a labor of love conducted over a lifetime. Others, like myself, are smitten and seized with the irresistible compulsion to complete a series with only availability hindering their advance. No such collector has an appreciable understanding of where the rough patches lie until they have encountered them. Can a few well-positioned set registrants up-end a series? Indubitably. And they have! Happy Thanksgiving!