Henri Charriere

I am inclined to agree. I thought this was well-settled on the Forum. The "proof" coin is one that has gone through a specially prepared polished planchet process. It does not stop being a "proof" after being subjected to, in this case, over a hundred years of wear and tear. It comes from royal provenance, and shall always remain so. It is a process, not a grade.

Not one month ago, I asked the gentleman manning the lobby door of our bldg, what happened to all the signs regarding the mask mandate. He said, "They're gone"...then added, "You don't see me wearing a mask!" Hmmm. My wife and I still frequented venues where mask-wearing was not an option. I read somewhere that the CDC fumbled the ball on this one. They did not formulate a plain, simple policy, instead adopting a scattershot approach like: "Updated guidelines: after five days, you're good; no need to isolate." And then, last week I had a fall which led to the E.R., discovery I was C-19+, my importuning my wife she had to go, by herself, which she did, confirming the self-test result (+) I had given her, and opening doors on high glucose sugar and enzyme levels. The scattershot approach here, where the subject was broached intermittently, was tentative at best. Members decried the cancellation of coin shows; many wanted the mask mandates lifted. My wife and I were compulsive mask-wearers. We were vax'd, boosted--and, when found to be C-19+, were each given a different treatment. I never expected to be laid low at this stage of the game. All I can do is advise caution due to the multiplicity of variants out there, and regular testing. At the end of this week, my wife and I will get tested again. And, if I am a responsible member of this Forum, I will share my results with my fellow hobbyists.. Where else can someone go to get information of this kind? If I can shed some light on this matter, I will happily to do so. 🐓

I tell ya you're one tough cookie and a really good sport!

Negative. I have suffered a grievous fall. If I hadn't gone to the E.R. it is highly unlikely I would have found out I am Covid-19+ (and my wife as well). Nearly 40 years ago, a doctor observed, "your life will never be the same." I've had one hip-replacement, and then another. The catastrophic fall suffered last week effectively means I am no longer fully ambulatory. I have not been out in a week. Coin show? I do not believe I can simply go downstairs and pick up the mail. And I cannot address this responsibly until I recover. That's the short and long of it.

What can I say? I have never done that. I do not believe I have ever seen it done. I have never allowed myself the luxury of thinking of doing that! What enquiring minds want to know now is, How well have your haggling skills gone over at the U.S. Mint?

Biting commentary.

@zadok: Regardless of the gist of your thoughts, they are always welcome--but I am not deserving of your adulation!

@zadok: I don't know from quantum physics, or anything else. Re: "how or why"... do you really expect to get an honest answer from a coin dealer? To begin with, being that forward is a faux pas of some kind. It is impolite to ask! Nobody does that! Am I to presume I can waltz right in to Brigandi or Stack's and have the audacity to cross-examine them, then and there? It is bad form! When you do that i/f/o a dealer, you reveal something about yourself. You're signaling something: price matters. Like the old saying goes, if you have to ask the price--in this case made worse by an inquiry into justification, you will get a response you did not expect, hinting, Maybe this is not for you. Great z, me and you are Kool and the Gang. Now level with me here, when's the last time you committed these egregious errors and observed a gentleman slap the side of his head and exclaim, "By George, you're right! This is all wrong! I tell you what, what do feel it ought to be? Don't worry about the extravagant rent I pay or my bottom line. Today is your lucky day! You set the price, and share with me your rationale. I believe I can accommodate you..." 😉

Good answer!

Persistent, are you? I, too, do not see evidence of doubling. To me, only the 1955 Lincoln cent exhibits die doubling and does so demonstrably. If die doubling has to be pointed out, in most cases it is a mix of optical illusions and wishful thinking. My "two cents" on the issue.

[Very nice all, gentlemen!]

There are no such things as "halfs." There are, however, "halves." (Lemme get out of here before z catches up!)

Thanks. I am doing the best I can.

To begin with, ALL the finds are quite remarkable. I stepped out of the hobby, after the Mint removed silver from coins. And this guy keeps finding stuff, at a steady clip, all over the place. I am impressed.

No one I spoke to did not question my insanity. A sister's husband, offered: "Nuremberg law of [1939 or 1941]: MY BODY, MY CHOICE!" It's been a week since this "infusion." I do not even feel close to recovery. And being left unable to walk, narrowed my entire world like a kaleidoscope. I was hoping to address the injury to my leg AFTER I recovered from Covid. That, aggravated by August heat and humidity makes that a remote "eventuality."

There once was a man from Nantucket. Heard of it, but can't remember it. Important: I cannot in good conscience give anyone the go-ahead with "BEBTELOVIMAB" aka "beelzebub." I may very well have committed irreversible error. If they approach, ask what your otherboption is. With me, they found a willing Guinea pig.

As I explained to my sister over the phone tonite, I had suffered a series of falls and learned I had Covid. When I got home, I administered a self-test to my wife. Positive. When I explained to her she would have to go unaccompanied by me, she dutifully went. But then they discovered her blood glucose levels were high and her liver enzymes were elevated. I was in the E.R. and they chose to treat me with a one-time Emergency Use Authorization, non-FDA approved experimental drug. She followed me only a day or two later and was given a prescription for Paxlovid. My treatment, so new I was told nobody knew about it, was an infusion of four vials of a drug. Two things: I haven't left the house in one week and the only symptoms I have are watery eyes and a low-grade fever. I complained of no symptoms prior to being infused. My memory is shot. The damage is done though. I cannot be treated for Covid again within 90 days. I remember "consenting" and being told, "Good, you will be Patient One." Huh?

@CoinJockey73: I have never heard those unique words uttered by anyone other than the emotionally-wrought radio announcer, Herb Morrison, accompanying newsreel coverage. [German zeppelin Hindenburg, May 6, 1937, 7:25 p.m., at NAS Lakehurst, N.J] And by special request, you want me to be around for the 100th anniversary of the crash (in 15 years)? Ain't happenin'... There was a commemorative medal issued privately to mark the 30th anniversary in 1967 (I wasn't even 16 yet) and I had it but have no idea what I did with it. Incidentally, I did like the collection of elongated pennies.

I would like to know--don't look it up if you don't!--where you heard that expression, "Oh, the humanity," used. I know who said it, why, where and precisely when, but am curious to know if you do?

Not what the Mint intended. I don't believe I have seem something like this before. Sad fate; nice denticles, though!

There is nothing I do not like about this bank note: New York Federal Reserve Bank district, printed in Fort Worth, Texas, and of course, those numbers. Nice catch!

Twenty YEARS! I can't do no TWENTY YEARS. (I am 70; do I have to?) In the wake of serious medical issues, I have had more time to stick my nose in matters, no less than the Great Z has [correctly] surmised I have no business being in. Case in point: a curious quip I picked up, and quietly awaited the right time to share. NOW! It conveniently explains the genesis of my rooster mania... "Prior to the wreck of the Akerndam--1725 off Norway; discovered by divers in 1972--only one Ducat 1724 was known to exist, so I assume the owner must have been disappointed when several thousands more [6505 to be exact] were available in the market." Re: In Case You Missed It - Coins of the Realm: Third Party Grading NGC and PCGS. PettayaMail.com. There it is in a nutshell. In inadvertently expressing my delight in high-end Roosters, I became an unwitting agent in the explosion of Rooster collectors as reflected suddenly, and seemingly exponentially, in TPGS certifications. I sat there and thought, "What have I wrought?" I once was the proud owner of one of only two Roosters certified for a given year in the short, 16-coin, series. Now I saw my stamina and endurance undermined--by my own hand. I felt slighted; one fellow member derisively dismissed my otherwise unremarkable "niche" in this collector area--the very last in a long line of 20-franc gold pieces. I quietly withdrew into my shell, and there I stayed until the fickle finger of Fate crossed my path, and I had time to acquire a little perspective. There are members who insist this is but a manifestation of the joys of collecting. But unless and until you personally experience the Akerndam, you will never look at things quite the same again. 🐓

@EliteCollection: To your credit, that was an exceedingly humble, respectful and deferential move on your part well-deserving of recognition. I applaud 👏 your example!

I do not know. I don't expect to be around then. I am blissfully unaware of things and hope that streak continues. As an old-time New Yorker put it, matters beyond the box you live in, and the box you go to work to, are extraneous. Plenty of worry warts around to address the fluff.

Me, as well. Now compare it to the anorexic zeros that pass for today.