Henri Charriere

I believe a strict interpretation of Old Hoop's Law forbids me from dwelling on it, but I am curious, has news of the latest Omicron variety, oops, variant, BA.5, manifested itself in any way at FUN, i.e., encouraged attendees to revert to mask-wearing, reluctance to shake hands, or in any other way? The news I have read, daily, indicates this new wave is stronger, exhibits different symptoms--and this is important: does NOT distinguish between those who've been vaxed/boosted, and those who have not. Have you seen or heard anything at FUN, or any where else?

Interesting, but realistically 99.9999% of all collectors would then never be able to compile a "complete" set. A "best" set is all they could hope for.

The only way to answer your question, absent solid knowledge which I do not have, is to balance your total outlay for the coin against grading, authentification and certification costs [including postage, return postage, registration, and insurance costs, both ways] as can be ascertained by consulting the latest revised submission costs. If time is not a factor, you should be getting good advice in due course. Good luck!

@GoldFinger1969: Hey there, how're ya doin'? I'm fine. Listen, just got word [of course, from a reliable source!] that the '23-D is out there, so keep your eyes peeled, and if you see something, or hear something, lemme know and I'll release the hounds.

@MarkFeld: I wish I were the buyer so I could state firmly and with finality, "I fought the good fight, I won it, I'm the new owner and nobody gets to see it, except @Hoghead515

@MarkFeld: The above snippet, "when you see it in hand," suggests ready availability and accessibility. When I paid a visit to the American Numismatic Society [ANS]--open to the public--to view a single coin in their holdings, my wife and I were confined to the public vestibule, copies of our driver licenses were taken, and after a prolonged wait were told we had to become members. An admission fee is expected at most major museums, etc., but membership to simply view something? There is no doubt there are some members of the Forum who are most accommodating. Others, outside a Set Registry, will neither confirm nor deny they own anything. The Great/Grand Snake, as featured on another thread never once surfaced in 50 years. If the member quoted above had used the subjunctive, "If," I would not contest it. When two gold roosters were certified MS-68, and quickly cross-graded successfully by our hosts, a prominent member here commented, in substance: they're gone; don't expect to see them anytime soon. Thus far, he appears to be right. It's not a given. It was sold; it's gone.

You are a scrupulously honest and forthright member... [unfortunately anything further I might add--which, ironically, would contribute to the "body of knowledge"-- would be excised, making posting a superfluous, futile act.]

to effect the great z's inimitable style of communication... that's water under the bridge. nobody is going to see it. it's been sold.

❤️

For the price the buyer paid, I hope he gets that "seal of approval." On 🐓, my strategy switched to whole grades. [For the first time ever, P--- certified a 1914 in MS-67. Now, if anyone thinks I am going to spend every waking hour of every day hunting it down, they are sadly mistaken. Some things just aren't meant to be.]

❤️

Maybe, maybe not. We will never know the ultimate fate of the coin. If demand evaporates (for whatever reason) what then? Today's "must have" may very well become tomorrow's "couldn't care less." You may be a big winner, and not even know it.

My theory: whomever the seller is, is adamant about recovering his initial outlay. He may be a younger collector. When you get up there in years, with sand running out of your hourglass, experience will have taught you the virtues of flexibility and compromise.

(none finer) ❤️

To both a colleague formerly from Alaska...

Her's the apprpriate emoji: ❤️

I am not curious enough to inquire but, as I am sure you are aware, the top two TPGS use different classifications in their respective Set Registries. How does NGC classify them? What descriptors do they use?

I don't know where I picked this up from, but it has been my understanding at least one leading office auction house recommends or mandates bidding begin at 70% of market price and the successful bid constitutes the new Fair Market Value.

[Is it safe to assume "insufficiently_thoughtful," person as a synonym has been dispensed with?]

I cannot say I agree or even disagree, but many of your comments have given me pause. You march to the beat of a different drum. And if you speak up on a topic, I am inclined to listen. 😉

I trust all who have read your post will agree this is a correct usage of the term "specimen" as we have come to know it in numismatics.

[Upon information and belief, money laundering is done by continuing criminal enterprises--and the occasional spinster with a phobia to germs.] 😉

[I don't know but I feel those who do, to echo an infamous line, are thinking: "What difference, at this point, does it make?"] 🤔

Unbeknownst to me, I do not collect "Genie" (Angel) so know nothing about them, or the nine other 20-franc gold coin types preceding them in the series, your simple query set off a firestorm in my mind which resulted in my pulling the plug on Roosters, for good. So what happened? I saved the final two notifications from MA-SHOPS, and re-examined them carefully. The first was the one that set off a false alarm: "New items matching your search query 20 Francs Gold 1900 MS 65 category Coins + Banknotes have been found." Then came the listing for Genie. I did not pick up on that right away. What caught my eye were the ridiculously low prices, easily half of what a 1900 Rooster in MS 65 ought to cost. Then, with that banner heading 20 Francs Gold 1900 MS 65 staring me in the face, as set forth in "second-coming"-type, I spotted the series name, Genie. Really? That was news to me! I thought the transition was smooth: Analogy: Franklin Halves end in 1963; Kennedy's pick up in 1964. Then, I investigated the matter further with your single line query and unsubscribed immediately. I received a notice from a representative, acknowledging the request accompanied by yet another, "New items matching your query" overture which I truly found galling... France 20 Francs 1912 Not Applicable Coin, Marianne, PCGS, Gold, KM:857 MS(65-70). (Bold Emphasis mine.) Now that's chutzpah! As a distinguished member (who unbeknownst to me had witnessed the RR2020 Donnybrook first-hand) replied to me, in substance recently, I have placed your comment in the appropriate file. I tell you, unabashedly, Henny Youngman-style: "I love this crowd!" There is nothing like this Forum anywhere else!

FWIW... As many members who follow this topic are aware, Elon Musk, with a purported 80 million Twitter followers, has now backed out of a deal to buy it for $44B, citing a "material breach," in the terms or conditions agreed to. (As previously noted, a listener to a radio broadcast called in to say a previous announcement by Musk had resulted in a 15% drop [hiccup] in earnings which apparently wiped out his "investment" and forced him to return to work [for a living]. This is what happens when the uninformed latch on to every word uttered by a person who has developed a large following. So this continues to be a work in progress. As for me, I am content with listening and learning.)