Henri Charriere

[Gratuitous commentary... I have reason to believe 99.44% of my threads and posts were vandalized or desecrated in my absence. Expungements effectively destroy the written record. While doing so is your prerogative, it unwittingly gives others the right to proclaim: "You are sadly mistaken. I never said or wrote that." That is why First Strikes in numismatics are comparable to First Editions by bibliophiles. None of us are infallible and both you and others enjoy sterling reputations. The succeeding posts make that crystal clear.]

[Gratuitus comment... I believe our learned colleague, z, to be an outlier and have greatly underestimated him. Granted, he guards his privacy more zealously than some--I do not at all--but taken in a broader context he has something indispensable going for him none of the rest of us have, including me: the luxury of time. I dare say, if he were to commission an authorized autobiography of his life and times, regardless the length or cost, I would be first in line to purchase a copy. He [ordinarily] is a gentlemen of few words but the artful way he chooses to use them are a joy to read... this coming from an old whippersnapper who has effectively eviscerated ever rule he has devised, on more than one occasion.]

While I can appreciate @DWLange's concern regarding tangential trajectories and the like, I am pleased to know if I remember something particularly memorable, I can do all my one-stop shopping right here. You never know who's going to drop in, or pop up on the "Saint's" thread, a succession of historic ongoing posts, without equal. Kudos to both the contenders and contributors!

Interesting observations. The upper example is a lovely coin exhibiting a "blast white" surface. Hard to tell why it was graded MS63, but it is a very respectable grade. As you are no doubt aware, "clean" or "cleaned" are touchy subjects to coin collectors. To the uninitiated, one's first impulse is to "clean" the coin. Avoid that impulse and leave that to the experts. The 1885-O bears evidence of a strong strike on its reverse--even the mintmark displays definition. I am not going to dwell on the minor imperfections. The fact that this heavy coin dropped out of the chute or hopper, relatively unscathed, is a miracle in itself. You have the beginnings of a fine collection with exquisite taste.

"Heritage"

Post -script (to the foregoing): PCGS Names Stephanie Sabin Permanent President October 19, 2021 Sabin served as PCGS interim president and has more than 15 years of experience at the company. * * * * *

Every man has his price. Crime wave? False News. 🐓

FWIW, in 1974 a group of local treasure/scavenger hunters, "acting on local lore," located the long-forgotten wreck of the French frigate Prince de Conty which had sunk in 1746 in a storm off the coast of a small French island, in 30' of water. Roughly 100 Chinese gold ingots--the ship was returning from Nanjing, China--were illegally scavenged from the wreck and an attempt made to sell five on eBay. This brought DHS into the investigation (stolen cultural items which the Chinese laid claim to) and the matter was finally resolved only three months ago with the return of five of the gold ingots to France. It is believed the rest were surreptitiously melted. [Ref: "Gold ingots from 18th Century Shipwreck Returned to France," New York Times, Mar. 2, 2022.]

Symptomatic of atrial fibrillation, as well. Plenty of rest. Strict diet: No more Corvettes. That's final. 😉

[This was a turn-of-the-century "memo," and remarkably your confidence level in the historical records is so high, you speak of him as though you knew him personally! How do you know he was so smart? What did you see that you just don't have the time to share with us? Just a snippet to satisfy enquiring minds like mine would be most gratifying...thanks!]

Nice catch.

Where in tarnation, is Dent's Run? I know PA., but where? I don't know who would have "jurisdiction" or why, but if a "tip" is called in they might be obliged to check it out. They're certainly not going to share this with state or local law enforcement. [And why wouldn't there have been an official record somewhere of a boatload of missing gold?] Then again, I don't recall exactly what it was that prompted Mel Fisher to search for the Atocha.

Thank you. I surmised as much after reading several more posts.

"...Junk silver, especially Franklins." This is a very curious reference to a coin series every date of which was comprised of 90% silver. 🤔

[Comment withdrawn]

... and Corvette acceleration.

[To @RWB Whether on official engraved government letterhead, or not, who addresses a private citizen with the familiar and less than formal, "From: Andrew"? And even if this matter were addressed using official U.S. Government Memorandum stationery, the overall effect is still one of exaggerated posturing and use of stilted tone and language. I pray that your good offices will investigate this matter and look forward to receiving your reply.] 🐓

@MarkFeld [If it is okay with you, I am going to take credit for prompting that lightning-fast edit.] 😉

Militating in @GoldFinger1969's favor, he qualified his comment by stating, "Not sure if it still is true,..." Unless one could narrow that window definitively, no faux pas was committed. In the general scheme of things, his credibility is sound and his reputation precedes him. I would give him the benefit of the doubt. 🐓

I am but a child and wouldn't know about all that. But in my shamefully unabashed, biased view, gold looks better in NGC holders. It's as simple as that. 🐓

I cannot believe anyone can walk around with this quite voluminous body of knowledge. I cannot believe a single question elicited it! Many thanks, gentlemen! 🐓

Yikes! It's got more gold than a Rooster 🐓 and is finer, to boot. Well done. Very well done! 👏

I can distinctly recall the one in Times Square. It was self-service, with a slot to insert your penny, after you've deposited 25 or 50 cents, and a very large handle you could rotate and see the press produce the finished product which was returned to you in a dedicated coin return slot. 😉

Vaguely remember the name. No more Prevagen for you. You are embarrassing me. 😉

I never even knew they had a name. I remember seeing the contraptions in Coney Island and Times Square amusement arcades. Pressed pennies. And the ones placed on railroad tracks are rolled pennies? Nice.