Henri Charriere

What a shame! Not even 150 years later and all is gone. The two time capsules buried at both the 1939 and 1964 New York World's Fair, courtesy Westinghouse, were meant to last 5,000 years. To my knowledge, neither has been tampered with. No one alive now will get to see their unveiling, which is just as well, as their contents, or so people thought at the time, were nothing less than embarrassing. By comparison, the dig conducted at King Tut's tomb was far more interesting.

Judge, jury, prosecutor, castigator and press agent... From the Senate subcommittee proceedings commonly referred to as the Army-McCathy hearings featuring Joseph R. McCarthy and Joseph Welch, televised June 9, 1954. "Until this moment, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness." "Have you no sense of decency, at long last?" *** I wish you, and yours, a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year! 😉 🐓

My standard response to any member who, in lieu of politely suggesting, issues forth a Direct Order, speaking as though my replies, general comments and asides are directed, personally, at him is; STILL HERE! STILL STANDING! STILL STRONG! I read all replies, but yield to Moderators and their chaperones. Further, if you do not speak for the NGC congregation, I advise you to report your grievance, particularly violations of Guideline policy, to the authorities... and to echo the late, great Gov. Ross Barnett (MS) do so politlely.

🐓: You guys are the best! A lot of friendly, good-natured banter; no impolite cackling. You present the best The Forum has to offer. It is privilege to experence such camaraderie among fellow members. Merry Christmas to all!

[I am aware this is a dated thread. What I would like to know is whether it is safe to assume these relics of a bygone era are worth more today (despite the expiration date on @PennyGuy's piece) or whether a market, however small for "woodies" has developed since then? The mention by the OP seems to suggest just that. With all good wishes for a Merry Christmas! 🐓

[Note: This thread was begun by the OP in Oct. 2017. Any issues then, have long since been resolved. As a matter of curiosity, enquiring minds who've weighed in -- and those lurking about -- should like to be apprised of the final results. SPECIAL NOTE TO THOSE ANNOYED OR EXASPPERATED BY REVIVED THREADS... my role was passive: to aid and abet or otherwise act in concert with others.] Rooster 🐓

This coin has quite a bit going for it. Proof high grade + ! Good example of, there are two sides to every coin! Any power lens used is insufficient to do this coin justice: lovely denticular-incognito piece. And the lava-like flow of cobalt blue iridescence, traces of which can be detected peripherally on the obverse, can be found at about 0200 hrs. on the reverse. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas with that nice ribbon-tied wreath! 🐓

Any way you grade this, the barely visible L in Liberty will have to be explained; the weak IBE will have to be scrutinized; and the strongly struck RT will have to be explained as well. The Y has an alibi due to the contour of the "tiara." Overall, the coin is quite nice and its reverse is noticeably nice featuring some original mint luster. Knowing the OP, he will not sell the coin. He may consider trading it, or surprise, surprise, simply give it away as a cadeau to his family. 🐓

[Dated thread. I know.] Nevertheless, gold is pre-ordained to go Excelsior! (that's Ever Upward!) to you non-New Yorkers. The market is like it always was: buy low, sell high. It is quite possible the principal trait of a scamster is impatience. I have more than enough patience but I am given to impulsiveness if circumstances change.

Read in stages -- I do not fault fellow member @BillJones one bit -- I see inconsistencies and contradictions. Lawyers face a litany of sanctions each more serious than the last. Then disbarment looms. Federal justices and even the President can be impeached. What happens to the wielder of undeserved, invalid grades. They are elevated; when's the last time one was fired outright? @RWB is looking better and better questioning validity, insisting on empirical standards and wielding the irrefutable truth. To the OP: No one can appreciate the significance of that single grade point besides you and those who have experienced the same, or similar, situation.

Wait, the third song on Sabaton's Carolus Rex album released in Swden in 2012, explains everything? I don't think so. I saw (or heard) oral histories of former N who'd been meeting on the down low, extolling life back then and were still steadfast in their commitment to the cause. Asked if they would have done anything differently, all said No! (Ditto Pol Pot and Japanese soldiers who participated in the R of Nanking (1937). I dare say I am the only member who has a hankering to see the City of God in the Rio favelas, Cite Soleil in Haiti, North Korea, Babi Yar not far from where my mother grew up (the Ukraine) Cuba, the Atacama desert in Chile and the site of #10 Rillington Place, etc. --- from the comfort of my own hovel. I Iove hearing about the OP's travels. Everything I've ever done in life, I've done alone. Now, travel is a pipe dream. Go at it, Kurt! I wish you a safe journey!

More of a mystery; and mysteries can be solved.

"He who steals my purse, steals trash." -Shakespeare's Othello

I'm in a tough spot here. The OP, as always, is a good sport, and I don't wish to overstay my welcome. Tell you what, we'll allow the thread to get back on track and, over the objections of those who reject the purpose of an off-topic thread (likely because they didn't think of it first) I would be delighted to resume our life or death matter there... Back on Track!

..."something almost as good," for TPGS that've been around half my lifetime doesn't cut it for me. Yeoman (deceased) took things as far as he could. It is practically 2022, with a slew of new blood with presumably a commitment to try to adapt to the times. Instead of getting into specifics, would it really be so difficult to annotate the basic, popular Red Book with mintages and footnotes indicating the number of coins certified and, as they've done without difficulty, briefly and unobtrusively, much in the manner they include notable coins (1804 comes to mind) they've provided prices realized at auction, since time immemorial? And, if they have not already done so, include an updated glossary of terms for the benefit of those new to the hobby. I would certainly be interested in a book on French 20-franc coins, but their were eleven (11) types and the Roosters were the very last on the time line. The renderings on lesser and greater denominations, both before and after, are so unesthetically pleasing I would not pay a cent for any of them were they in MS-70+ condition, irrespective of hype and provenance. IMNSHO.

Well... I'll be! Must be the Christmas spirit!

That the same four-letter word my wife used and she didn't even know what she was looking at. I like it because it evokes the Revolutions in Europe. In addition, the American flag had 30 stars... a nice piece of period history.

@DWLange Thank you, sir! Re halves, I was told repeatedly by one bank branch that, knowing I liked coins with heft, they had the "old" large silver dollars. Assuming they were mistaken, I passed on them. But, sure enough, they turned out to be, not Morgans, but Ikes. They had none of the newer dollar-coins, halves or two-dollar bills, so I said sure! They said how many?I said I'll take all you've got. Over a hundred rolls the end of which were all 1776-1976. I would love to pass them on to newbies, but do not know the procedure.

The "stuff" I would be interested in is absolutely verboten to buy, sell, carry, wear, use, display, etc. Just once, before I die, I'd love to hear the German's side of the story.

How many certified 1933 St. Gaudens double eagles are there? One. No need to poll every TPGS in the world; the answer by now is common knowledge. Both the collector and investor want definitive answers. No endless vacillation. Those two 🐓's that were provisionally, P-graded at MS-68 are no longer reflected on their population report but to even suggest they ceased to exist is malarkey. Outside the confines of Alice-in-Wonderland, they are very much alive and well but do not presently reside in anyone's set registry. That's full disclose. That's being transparent. That's being helpful. [Once again, do not look for any buttons to touch.]

Always a pleasure to hear from you, but if I were to follow your example, particularly in light of the latest [year-end] census, you would increase my workload exponentially. For example, 1911 is the second scarcest date in the series. N has 55 pegged at MS-66; P has certified over twice as many at the same grade. Hard to believe sixteen coins could occupy so much of my time. [If you are looking for the "sad" button, there isn't any. I have not overexaggerated anything I have said regarding moderation.]

In a perfect world, the mere existence of another TPGS, would be acknowledged as a matter of professional courtesy. Example: regarding solely a 1903 🐓: one TPGS asserts 2 were graded MS-65, with none finer; another insists, indirectly, that NONE were graded at that level. One calls their tabulation a census; the other calls it a population report. And the collector, how does he fit into all this? He doesn't. What other field of endeavor engages in such blatant underhanded deception?

Update No sign of either the 1908 or 1912 NGC-graded MS-68's. But somewhat disconcerting, the population of Mint State Roosters has exploded. Almost 400 now in dozens of sets. PCGS continues to maintain its competive edge on the "re-strike" issues (1907-1914) while dominating the "originals" (1899-1914) Anyone whose desire is to complete a set must be prepared to acquire examples from Europe, at higher prices -- or wait, interminably. To date, the number of people who've broached the subject of gold 🐓 with me directly, exclusive of dealers, can be counted on one hand. One more thing... being wholly unfamiliar with leading economic indicators and FMV's, I can only guess prices will be orchestrated by rising certifications checked by the ups and downs of gold spot, and moderated with the discovery of a hitherto unknown French gold hoard factored in. I am a simple person with simple tastes. If I should win tonite's Powerball drawing, my entire holdings will go to the village in France that stuck up for Maurice the Rooster, now deceased, at my expense. Otherwise, I will wait until gold breaches a certain level, and then sell. Either way, it will give me an unprecedented opportunity with which to re-acquaint myself with my wife and remind myself I am married and have obligations. 🐓

Footnote: In the nearly 90 days that have elapsed since you've written this, both coins have failed to surface after an intensive dragnet.

[Note: there came a time in the mid-1960's when large silver coins simply disappeared. My question regards the same phenomenon. Gold coins were minted with many denominations for circulation. When did the tipping point occur where "common" gold coinage minted for circulation was simply no longer available anywhere AT FACE VALUE?