Henri Charriere

@RWB Right as always. I was stuck on Afghanistan but the Commission was in Saudi Arabia. No way I'm going to accept Ruptured Springs unless of course I'm forced-fed. 😉

I'm going to chalk this episode off to unfortunate timing: a long holiday weekend. (For future historians: M.L.K. Day.)

I know I still have a hobo nickel. Nah, not gold. Wrong thread.

I believe the full name was the "Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice" (CPVPV) -- and I don't believe a word of what you've written! 😉

This geology, this landscape, is what remains of glacial activity. Traces are prominently displayed in a few remaining open places such as the giant rocky outcropping in Central Park, scarred and left behind when the glaciers melted/retreated leaving a historic record behind in its moraine. (I believe the city's first "skyscraper" was the Flatiron building at 23rd St. and Fifth Avenue at Madison Square Park.) Incidentally, it may be just my perception, but the armored cars I've seen entering and leaving the Federal Reserve, are robust, heavy-duty vehicles. When you get a chance, if you're unfamiliar with the story, all the gold buried in the rubble of a bank (Nova Scotia?) at 4 WTC on 9/11 was recovered.

@Mohawk I like the German interpretation better. It has giant claws! The Trade Dollar looks amateurish and cartoon-like.

Very interesting. There must be a correlation between these rankings and the advent of TPGS authentifications and certifications. Before this all you had were respective mintages -- and rumors.

I honestly don't know but I can only surmise your initial post set off a flurry of exchanges that may have overwhelmed Moderation's ability to process. You're in, welcome back!

The depth at which Manhattan "schist" lies varies. There are some areas where it lies at great depth and others where it is closer to the surface. The figure given, 86 feet, sounds about right. When the Trade Center was initially excavated in the early 1970, and re-excavated thirty years later, I saw both, and can assure you the figures given for both were similar. I am unaware of any excavation anywhere in the city that exceeded 100' so the figure given by historical accounts is accurate.

I stand corrected. 😉

[Unsolicited Editorial Comment... This old thread only confirms what I have known all along. The OP asked a simple question, and got a helpful detailed answer. None of the respondents caved in to the notion that providing a critique of a coin would somehow assist "the counterfeiters," an entity bigger than life, in producing a better product. That is a fanciful notion that may sound good, but has no basis in fact. It is nice to see good old common sense prevails.] 🐓

🐓: What was that all about? Q.A.: I have no idea. That's from two years ago. It's water under the bridge now.

Welcome to the Forum! I cannot answer your question but the "split end" certainly looks interesting. I expect that other members will be able to help you in due course.

Troo dat!

In what way are the 1955 doubled dies "infamous"? If anything, they are probably the most highly sought after famous coins in U.S. history. Neither infamous nor notorious. Just downright legendary exceeded perhaps in recognition by the 1943 copper cent.

@RWB A lot of interesting information dispensed on this thread. An update is needed, but where to start? Why, the Fed itself, of course! Last time I approached the entrance, I never got a chance to touch the door handle. A uniformed armed guard intercepted me -- I was working on nearby Wall Street, suit and tie, no 4-foot long beard, early 1980's -- and asked to state my business. Sorry, no tours. (I'll have to give it another shot -- oh wait, there's the internet now.) There was a special documentary on this utilitarian, stone block building which revealed there is still extant, a little-known tunnel that connects the building underground to the nearby [now J.P. Morgan] Chase Bank. Fodder for conspiracy theorists. No harm done in resuscitating old threads, but it's been nearly 2 years since you unearthed this multi-faceted jewel, and a good 14 years since it was begun by the OP, @WoodenJefferson who hasn't been heard from in quite a spell. I award this my highest rating, five Roosters, hands down. 🐓

🐓: Hey Quintus! I am not a soothsayer, but I definitely see this blue warning sign in your future. Q.A.: ✅️ Noted. Thanks for sharing. (And if tj96 reappears, Welcome to the Forum!)

nota bene: nearly 2-year old thread!

@Lem E Very brave of you to display this variant. Can we talk? Good... I can accept the obverse, but three things killed the reverse: the optics on Monticello: the beveled edges and the fontamania: an upper case O in Of, and a lower case f in five. Other than that I would have gladly met your quite reasonable $7.3 million asking price. 😉

I guess not. Oh well. 🐓

I've got some good news to share which will lift a tremendous burden off you: Your beliefs, your assertions, are totally baseless and without foundation. Nobody is monitoring coin threads and translating English into Mandarin. You give counterfeiters way too much credit. North Korea's $100 "super dollars" was a far greater threat. Your spiel, "WE DO NOT," goes well beyond suspicion and borders on paranoia. You may be one of the nicest members on the Forum, and I love your token thread, but there are much bigger fish to fry. You have forgery, misrepresentation, impersonation and counterfeiting in all fields of endeavor: documents, books, paintings, autographs, perfumes, handbags, cyber security, hacking, historical artifacts and plain old IRS scams aimed at senior citizens -- one guy even tried to peddle an autobiography of Howard Hughes. Clifford Irving never could have anticipated Mr. Hughes would speak out. He hadn't been seen or heard from in years. Big mistake. From your vantage point, a virtual trickle can seem like a tsunami. How does illegal coins stack up against illegal drugs. Is there a Pablo Escobar of counterfeits? If it ever becomes a real and not just an over-exaggerated threat, the issue will be addressed, accordingly. And if it isn't, the problem is a comparatively minor one. Until that time comes, there are far greater threats posed than coins easily identifiable as outright fakes. Stating what is self-evident, wrong metal, is not disclosing sensitive national security intelligence. Let's not misidentify the common cold for the omicron variant. Sorry, but a tabulation of nays and yeas does not contribute one iota to the body of numismatic knowledge. I will defend with my life your right to express an opinion, but until circumstances dictate otherwise, I'm holding fast to mine. If the emperor shows up without clothes, I will state the obvious. In the meantime, we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable. Right? 😉 🐓

VIEWER DISCRETION! Yes, it is an old thread, but old threads can be instructive. The above coin is described as being of "brass" composition. It is incumbent upon anyone who elects to reply that that is the primary red 🚩 flag: Wrong metal. Red Light! I also think it would be more helpful if members who respond dispense with the one-word dismissals. Informing collectors, some of whom may have made a significant investment in a coin, True or False or Yes and No, without any comment, is rather brusque. If you see something, elaborate! Disclose the reason for your outright, Nay! If it were you, wouldn't you want to know why a coin you just paid a substantial (or a mere pittance for) was being outright rejected? I know I would. 🤔

I don't know from "broken bank," but would it be improper to refer to a British citizen as a "broke bloke"? 🤔

I would be curious to know if anyone knows the ultimate fate (present whereabouts) of the hollowed-out Jefferson nickel, dated 1948, but with a war-time reverse (no mention of the mint mark disclosed to my knowledge) which began in 1953 with its discovery by a young Brooklyn newsboy and culminated in the arrest of a Soviet secret spy, Col. Rudolf Abel in 1957 who was convicted and sentenced to a federal prison term and was later exchanged for Francis Gary Powers, a CIA U-2 pilot shot down over Russia in 1962. The investigation was lengthy with many twists and turns much too convoluted to share here, but it is the fate of that nickel that interests me. Assumptions may be made, including the Spy Museum or the FBI, but I don't recall a final disposition. Older collectors likely would remember.