Henri Charriere

Wait a minute... holy cow! That is the top of his lid with no logo, no nothing! IT'S THE FIRST COUNTERFEIT SLAB BOX I'VE EVER SEEN!!! Now, who can ol' tj submit it to to get certified as a "contemporary counterfeit"?

🐓: How come you don't carry, Q? Q.A.: I never investigated the matter, but it seems in our neck of the woods, only criminals are allowed to have them.

To the OP: Re: your "generic" box... take a good look at the top of the lid. It reads, "Whitman Publishing, LLC." There is a fine global logo bisected by latitudinal and longitudinal lines. I've got one, too. No shame in my game. Give credit where credit is due, I always say. 🐓 , Postscript: As I recall, each TPGS box was custom-made to specification. For lack of a better descriptor, the "generic" was a "rattler."

This may or may not come as a surprise, but my entire brood of Set Registry Roosters lie within a Lighthouse™️ "Grande Classic 3-Ring Certified Slab Album with matching Slip Case [plus 4 ENCAPSLAB certified coin album pages for up to 36 slabs.]" I've got NGC, front-and-center, upgraded encapsulations in the middle, and PCGS, bringing up the rear. My original "box," (which I still have) contained 20 bags of Bigelow brand Green Tea. [It quickly became overcrowded and Ricky the 🐓 led the revolt!] Surely the OP will find it in his heart to forgive me my trespass and give me an honorable Special Mention?

[According to the current membership, I am not a hoarder, collector----and most assuredly NOT a numismatist. I am simply a self-described dues-paying lurker, NGC has in some magical way developed a tolerance for.] Postscript: NO QUID PRO QUO.

I will give you a classic MM reply: I stopped reading after Boxes... and skipped right down to your first post [as hereinabove rendered]. Capiche?

VAM, WAM,... and now SLAM? I, er, uh, what's that word Hillar---- misspoke. I MISSPOKE. I was blindsided by the OP's direct query and had instantly "forgotten" the topic...

🐓: How did z know we voted?... Q.A.: No way Kurt left the Commonwealth two years ago!... 🤔

Our comments "...helpful..."? If you say so. Thanks! Your photo? Not so much. Sorry!

🐓: May I, Q? Q.A.: Go ahead! 🐓: Submit it. Q.A.: Well done, Ricky. Very well done!

🐓 : Kurt said, "most artificial toning jobs end up two-sided." Q.A.: That observation alone is worth the price of admission! I didn't know that, did you? Thanks, Kurt, for keeping the conversation going for the benefit of a new member. I appreciate the input!

[Page geometry, book-page curvature, raising the mast... How can a member not gorge on a verbal feast such as this? Thank you Roger, for the virtual victuals! And cordial jargoning. Between marriages to die for (wrong expression) failed marriages... (that ain't it) Ah yes: die-marriages, cracked-die proofs, or is it, proof die-cracks--and not just matte proofs, but special matte proofs, there is a little bit of something for everybody on this site and, through it all, Roger's eye maintains its focus on the leading edge of tectonic technology. I do not understand or speak the dialect, but I appreciate the advances being made and the efforts of those who report the latest developments to the layperson at large! A-this, A-that... man, I love this place! Thanks again, Roger!]

🐓: I'm stuck on the reference to "the 885 in the denticles." What's your take, Q? Q.A.: A lot of delectable morsels to chew on, but the characterization of surface quality as "grainy" or "granular" seals the deal for me. The entire matter can be disposed of with a quick optical survey by @VKurtB. He's on record as saying, where metal is concerned, that is his primary area of interest. Me? I won't hazard a guess. I wouldn't want "speculator" added to the list of epithets hurled at me.

Troo dat! I offered the term "sawbuck," but a highly-regarded member of the Forum dismissed it as being beneath the profession... Sniff, can't win for losing.

@Oldhoopster: Funny you should mention history. I just came across something I never heard of. We are all familiar with the sword of Damocles, but how about the Diogenes syndrome? This is a pattern of hoarding----marked by treating our things better than we do ourselves----as associated with advanced age. My father's book collection consisted of duplicate copies of every title he treasured. One he utilized for everyday reference, the other was a part of his prized library. My brother kept the chassis of a Chevrolet Corvette on blocks--at a ridiculous monthly rental cost, at one point far surpassing anything he could have derived from selling it. Some people rationalize finances and cannot (or will not) adjust their priorities. You make a valid point. One can enhance the quality of one's life and broaden one's body of knowledge through collecting----or be held hostage by it. [Note: Diogenes of Sinope lived out of a barrel.]

Nice juxtaposition of a 2012 W, with a 2012 (W)!

The lead comment evokes a former president's still-notable line... "I'm not a crook." I have sat here very quietly watching this thread evolve but came to a FULL STOP when I read what followed. Actually, at least in my neck of the woods, a low price is a red flag for a legitimate article that had been stolen. But here, of all the low-down dirty tricks I've ever encountered, a newly-minted member RAISES THE PRICE well beyond FMV, whatever that may be, for no other reason than to avoid the suggestion of impropriety, i.e., the appearance of a scam... Now, that's chutzpah! Did you at least confer with family [Taylor's 1-6] before committing this ongoing faux pas? I do hope @Oldhoopster doesn't see this. @ronnie stein: any chance you can work wonders for @Taylor7 the way you did for me?

@VKurtB: Actually, to clarify, on the matter of New York, tho I cannot speak for the entire great sovereign state, I can talk about New York City's 5 boros, generally, and New York County, i.e., Manhattan, specifically. And while I cannot vouch for the intricate dynamics regarding the entire city, I can safely say whether your peers will support you--as reported publicly, for as long as I can remember--is largely dependent on whether you are a member in good standing of the Black or Hispanic communities, in the Bronx, nowhere else, tho Brooklyn could be viewed as a close second, "peer-support" boro. You cannot get a conclusive response when you're talking about the other three boroughs where anything goes.

And to think my dear old mom blew a fit when I told her I bought mine for $200. from Stack's in the mid-Sixties. [I get the distinction between collecting and investing, but the truth is neither directly benefits the individual doing it.] You start collecting and continue to collect because you are unwilling (or unable) to stop. You don't sell anything unless you're upgrading. Then Death intervenes. And the simple, sad, sorry, truth is what happens then is someone else's call. Did YOU benefit? No. In a sense, in the end of all your posturing and decision-making, much of it life long (and inexplicable) the bum on the Bowery is your equal. My personal nitemare: I sell in contemplation of my "imminent" mortality, and my doctor calls and gives me the Good News! What do you mean everything's fine? I'm going to live? For how much longer??? Surely, you jest! Holy cow, the Roosters! You mean I didn't have to divest at all? What did I do? What did I do?

[Gentlemen, you're doing just fine without my intermittent, wildly unpredictable, incursions! Carry on!] 🐓

Not so fast, Oldhoop'! You specifically stated elsewhere you never have ignored anyone--and never would! Why does this member merit special treatment?

🐓: Time to pigeonhole the pigeonman... Q.A.: I agree, but where to begin... 1- not everything "counterfeit" is stamped "COPY," nor do they have to be. 2- The "arrangement" the lady at the bank proposed is so highly irregular as to be laughable, criminal--or both! 3- If, as you maintain, the Secret Service (now subsumed by Homeland Security) monitors counterfeit distribution, why, oh why, would you volunteer the party to whom you sent those goods to before a live studio audience viewed by millions? If it's any consolation, the Powerball is up to $825 million, and rising, ahead of Saturday's drawing. If the Moai of Easter Island should show me favor, I will give you a fresh start. Hell, I'll even bail out the hapless family member you drew into the mix!

I wish I could be of help. I picked up over a hundred Ikes at a local bank and never opened a single roll. I had no idea there were so many differences. You got me with the pegleg. The only ones I know of were Peg Leg Bates, an incredibly gifted dancer, and Peter Stuyvesant, who governed New Netherland before it became New York. [I will be watching this topic to evaluate the explanations offered as they come in.]

[Tangential rant... I couldn't wait to get my hands on the 2016 Centennial Winged Liberty "Mercury" 1/10 Troy oz. gold coin. Then I opened the parcel in mint-condition OGP. STRIKE 1: My first impression: "You got beat!" (Where's the detail?) STRIKE 2: Ohhh, it's a "business strike!" (What's that?) I put the cover back on the box and vowed I would never take a look at it again. Then a member decided to inaugurate a Gold thread. Ricky [ 🐓 ] stood up, and I ruffled his feathers: U.S. gold only! He sat! back down. As the photos on that thread started coming in, it suddenly occurred to me, hey, why not post that new Mercury? So I posted it. Today, I checked the latest posts and scrolled back to mine. LIKES! A bunch of them! From members I thought were my friends! STRIKE 3. I'm out.]