Henri Charriere

Pray tell, what if any, is the correlation between this reply to this Topic?

An oldie, but a goody! 🤣 For those for whom such matters are of interest, the spot GOLD price for today, Friday, May 17, 2024 is: $ 2,420./z

🐓 : Spot SILVER: $31.48., as of today 5/17/2024.

Truer words have never been written. There I was sitting at my table one day mulling my options. It just seemed every search for my F20FR GRs would yield 90% more inapplicable results that I could use, when: Drawing on the French I learned in high school, I dove in after asking myself which country would most likely have the coins I am interested in: FRANCE... Of course, and the rest is history.

But, but... the way she is seated, her left eye is impossible to view. Very lovely coin! (In the future, I predict any such distractions shall be ameliorated with a technician wielding a laser.)

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you I am prepared to make you a very attractive offer for that, er, proprietary elixir to make my boring coins come to life. If "luster" is one of the things taken into consideration in grading a coin, I want my gold roosters to look their Sunday best. You understand. 🤣

You're a good sport, Roger! I am going to waive the wait period just for you. That man, now deceased was none other than... MENACHEM BEGIN, a former Prime Minister of Israel -- and leader of the Irgun. Mass murderer? Terrorist? Most Wanted Fugitive? Convicted Felon? Ex-convict? Yes, those things and many more, but also the Sixth Prime Minister of Israel. Edit; All of the foregoing facts, with a slew of additional sources, may be found by searching for "Menachem Begin," and the "King David Hotel Bombing" Wikipedia. (I thank Moderation for allowing me to illustrate my point that there are many sides to a story.)

Is Gold too High? No, and speaking for myself, it never will be. What I am secretly hoping for is "profit-taking." Collectors cashing out. Malheureusement, for me, the number of certified pieces I require can be counted on one hand, are owned by people of apparently considerable means -- and apparently many other sets. That's one reason why I chose to attempt to acquire the cornerstone, actually keystone, of my collection. Incidentally, in the course of my many transactions via PayPal (which is becoming more and more unsavory with constant amendments to their legal "contracts" with you, whether buyer or seller, I discovered overseas sources gave both them and TPGS wide berth. I also found out that "bank wire transfers" (the JP Morgan Chase charge is $50) is NOT instantaneous and can take up to a week or more to transact! [USPS money orders are for domestic use only and though good for up to $1500., the maximum you buy is $3,000. If you try a check-cashing place with considerable cash, you cannot transmit it by Western Union to a business w/o a name and street address. Logically, you walk in with a hefty amount of cash, you will be interrogated at length, asked how well you know the person you're sending the money to -- only to be told your transaction is denied. Gold too High? Nope. Not yet. But I would imagine the owners of all those sets on the various Set Registries -- and our Pallett Man -- are quite pleased. 🤣

@RWB : While my reply may suggest political and religious overtones, the ONLY point I wish to make is: there are two (and sometimes many more) sides to every story. I am going to set forth some indisputable facts which I would appreciate your reviewing, followed by a single question and references (which if posted, or moved to "Unsolicited comments," will appear tomorrow, after you, and our armchair historians have had a chance to view it). ● He ordered an attack in 1946 on British military and administrative personnel headquartered at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine which resulted in the destruction of the building's southern wing and the deaths of 91 people, mostly British, Arabs and Jews, soldiers -- and 3 policemen; (46 people were injured.) ● His face appears on a 1940 prison mugshot I believe taken in Russia; he was born in Belarus. ● The Palestine Police Force placed him FIRST on its Most Wanted Men list, along with nine others being sought. Throughout the period of unrest, the British MI-5 placed a "dead or alive" bounty of £10,000 on his head. ● During the 1950's, he was banned from entering the U.K. as the British Government regarded him as "leader of a the terrorist organization -----." There is much much more but this will suffice and I do not wish to take advantage of Moderation's hospitality. MY ONLY QUESTION IS: WHO WAS THIS MAN?

I never fear the worst, but then again, international mail poses seemingly insurmountable problems. I ordered an item from Slovenia, and after fighting sharks rounding Cape Horn the freighter finally chugged in to New York harbor. I guess I lucked out. When certified, five years ago after receipt, it came in as a Top Pop: 2/0. I vaguely remember the cost was $285 for an Original rooster -- its gold melt as of today is $446.13; its numismatic value obviously twice that -- and while it was packed practically for FREE DELIVERY (a clever euphemism used for SEA MAIL; Last Class Mail in the U.S. -- I had already forgotten about it, immersed in completing my main 16-coin set quickly. Let us know how you make out. (I don't expect to hear from my seller until well into June.)

Thanks for the mugshot! That's the guy that exhibits best the features we were looking for. Can't assign a grade without a face we can compare it with. 🤣

No, not yet here, and won't for another year. Europe is a different story: when a grade falls squarely within a range of grades, and the cost of certification reverts to submitters, water will seek its own level. I am afraid I cannot speak for the other continents.

THE RUMOR YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IS TRUE! I figuratively stabbed my most ardent fan, not to mention my legion of Ignorers, squarely in the back. How so, you might ask? Easy. I sent in my membership renewal... [Upon the advice of counsel, Ricky, 🐓 I sent my remittance in, eschewing crisp currency, for the security of a money order.] There is always the possibility that NGC, having weathered my antics, for years, will refuse to accept it, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Now for those not quite satisfied with that explanation I offer you the wisdom of our good friend from the Heart of Dixie who once said: "I'd rather be RIGHT, than nice." To my knowledge, no one has challenged his fantastic assertion. With me, I'd rather be fluid and truthful, than consistent and untruthful. I announced my resignation, and save for the few that got wind of it and urged me not to, no one batted an eye. So I ask you, gentle reader, what's the point of leaving, if you're not going to be missed? As Putin, through an interpreter, said to Biden -- who, in substance, had just exclaimed, "I am looking into your eyes, Mr. President, and I do not see a soul," -- "We understand each other exactly." Readership, we understand each other.

@RWB : I will have a reply for you shortly. It is of the utmost importance to me that the membership understand our interaction is cordial, respectful and in all matters, copacetic.

The following comment is nothing less than incendiary and indefensible coming on the heels of my decision to renew my membership, mere hours ago. Consequently, VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED... Now I know how defense counsel feels when they are put in the untenable position of being assigned to an uncooperative defendant who insists on a suicidal defense and must respectfully ask the Court to beg off the case. Imprimis, the Topic is misleading. Do you really expect me to defend you against the barrage of "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," which are sure to follow by introducing a fossilized missive, relic as it were, to justify your antiquated thesis in the internet era? Where does one even begin to look for plausible justification? That was then; this is now. The horse less carriages with running boards are long gone. "... why our modern coin design and creation is so poor."? Surely, you jest! Did the failure of the Tacoma-Narrows bridge in 1940 deter Othmar Amman, and his team of architects, civil and structural engineers (including my father) from determining the cause of the collapse and devise the necessary improvements for a contemplated Verrazzano-Narrows bridge opened in 1964? When's the last time the NTSB begged off a case saying, "Hey, that [Flight 880] lies in waters ten miles off Long Island's south shore." Never happen. What does then rudimentary state of the art communications, primitive and anachronistic by today's standards, have anything to do with the leaps in technology which have evolved and been implemented since. [The only reason why Macy*s department store has retained sections of their original wooden escalators is to retain a certain charm and ambiance the public finds enchanting.] For a highly acclaimed writer who insists, unceasingly, to maintain objectivity to depart from d3corum by injecting an offensive and personal character assassination on one incapable of defending himself is inexcusable and downright unconscionable. (Posted at the discretion of Moderation; I am prepared to accept my punishment.)

Just another in a string of "none of anyone's business" logorrhea. Come to think of it, you'd be the perfect participant on the P--- Set Registry where an inordinate number of people post their sets anonymously -- you don't know who they are, what their set looks like and there is no way to contact them. Now I know why you were bestowed the honor of President of the Anti-Social Social Club. In the end, no one will be surprised when, despite the incessant boasting, bragging and name-dropping, all you've ever had was that stone from Yap. Funny how those types gravitate to the "competitive sets" site. Contrary to MM's parting shot, I do have my big boy's pants on. I couldn't care less about death or the IRS. My wife? There's enough room to hide from her under my table. After all, I Am a Man.

Obviously, I cannot speak to the motivations of other collectors, but I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I never met any collector of the female persuasion who was not curious as to which mule carried which bag or ore down the mountain. I mean, that's pretty basic stuff. Also, though she may not be consciously aware of it, Penny, Charmy's pet is a critical component of her sales' strategy. In fact most collectors would inquire, "Hey, where's Penny?" first before they'd ask her about some quadrupled-die obverse Lincoln she may have picked up somewhere in her travels... 🤣

Don't feel bad. A postal clerk once confided in me that the Tracking Number is key. My problem was devising a sensible approach to problem-solving. Why would anyone insure, or send certified with a tracking number, a plain old greeting card, and if so, for how much without drawing the very attention you are seeking to avoid? You did the right thing. I believe speed is important (First Class/Priority Mail) packing things properly for shipment is important -- and that tracking number is important.

I continue to stand firm on my initial MS-67 assessment. If this were a PROOF, someone well-versed in this series would have to explain the presence, on Liberty's upper thigh, of the four (4) equally-spaced "dots" rendered NW to SE, as well as the clearly identifiable mark best described as a symbol of freemasonry. This was no inadvertent PMD. Both are precise and distinctive. NOTE: I would not have shelled out $1.37 MM for this coin as I believe it to be prohibitive. 🤣

Very impressive set! (Yeah, I cheated and looked.) 🤣 Set Registrants are notoriously incommunicado. The # 1 ranked guy's got the '13 you're looking for, having upgraded his former one which is sitting around doing nothing. The "gradeline" you've chosen, I feel, makes your set attractive. EF for Extra Fine effort!

Auctioneer to top bidder: "And the cabinet? Would the gentleman be interested in placing a bid on this one-of-kind, custom cabinet?" Top bidder: "Certainly not! Surely you must be familiar with the term 'cabinet friction'?"

By law, I am required to give these representatives of the coin collecting community their props, as it were, but I cannot help but feel their authoritarive pitch is aimed almost exclusively at people who know nothing about the hobby beginning with some fundamentals like Sheldonization which lends itself perfectly to manufactured scarcity, fair market values, long-term trends and precisely what some of the extortionate prices demanded -- conveniently camouflaged by more palatable installment payments -- are really worth when viewers, acting under time constraints are urged to get aboard now or lose out big-time on what appears to be a lifetime opportunity that may never come along again. Old hands view these with knowing amusement. Those who will get fleeced are likely the unacquainted or well-meaning retirees with grandchildren -- and sufficient largely uncommitted disposable income. Caveat emptor! (Posted at the discretion of NGC Moderation.)

Truth be told, I have always loved this coin from the time I was an amoeba. The one important consideration we must consider is this is a private product and not a product of the U.S. mint! Granted, there are quite evident planchet defects but why is it we bend over backwards to accommodate shillings and cobs with shark bites and sizeable parts of metal missing but jump all over a fine creation banged out in a lower Manhattan shop? (In case Sandon is lurking about, I would cite Wikipedia as one source.) Advertised on an auction at a ridiculously high grade a few years back, the example I saw appeared to have had a wooden dowel placed in the center of the coin's obverse which was apparently rubbed clock- and counter-clockwise leaving an unsightly concentric circular marks which was impossible to over look -- and yet described in glowing terms by the "experts" well-versed in using flowery prose as a gift befitting royalty. I stand firm in insisting we extend to the OP the same courtesy old Colonial coinage is routinely extended in recognition of the fact they were all produced by primitive means. As far as I am concerned, if that atrocity I once saw is grouped with similarly defaced coins (like counter-punched Trade Dollars and coins a coterie of coinologists have summarily declared to be forgiven for their defects as being "common to the series") I am going to declare this coin to be likewise immune from such criticism. Grade? Malheureusement, my emotions supersede my deficit in adjudging a coin I lack the necessary experience to grade as objectively as I should. The coin, as noted upthread by JKK, appears to straddle the AU/MS line. (There are members on this or perhaps another Forum who have exhibited fine examples of their Feuchtwangers elsewhere. I believe now would be an appropriate time to post their coins along with any constructive criticism.) (Posted at the discretion of NGC Moderation, with my unqualified assent.)

🐓: Hey Quintus, this is a thread you can post comments on! Q.A.: Thanks Ricky. I have a question for @Sandon ... On a number of threads you have posted coins which have been submitted for reasons you have not volunteered, but which, in many cases resulted in elevations in grade. My question is, do you regard these as examples of "gradeflation" or, for lack of a better term, simply examples of more accurate "right-sizing" of coins graded inaccurately -- or coins which had been adjudged by antiquated, imprecise, but ever-evolving standards?

🐓: Quite a lackluster response, if I may say so myself. Q.A.: The truth is human beings tend to repress bad experiences. Uncle z mentioned legal guardians. I wouldn't go fhat far. Your average member would suggest inadvisable or perhaps irrational, but come what may, my 2.3 followers can count on me coming clean. I expect my ill-advised but not illegal scheme to work and will post my dated postal receipt indicating a cash only purchase as well as a good shot of the pattern (the reverse is blank) right here for all to see. You'll see. Right now, I am awaiting a reply to my order via e-mail. If the artifact was sold, no problem: First come, first served. If so, I am hoping they will issue me a credit. Who knows, maybe a top pop might make its debut. Would I advise anyone on the Forum to do likewise? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!