Henri Charriere

I wouldn't be surprised if all roads lead to Rosemont or some other similar get-up. When VKurtB was spotted prowling the floor with his Speed Graphic, all negotiations were conducted confidentially by interested parties under the counter and quite possibly before the show. 🤔

When all is said and done on the initial distribution of these marvelous, state-of-the-art, "state-sanctioned counterfeits," I look forward to seeing where their Fair Market Value will settle. I am painfully aware many of my more learned colleagues object to my use of that loaded characterization, but then they didn't pay 200x face, each, for the privylege of owning one of these silver look-alikes. The old-timers will know exactly what I mean. Note: And if the two sellers who sold me these coins have since experienced misgivings and quietly cancelled and refunded my 💰 in the face of the clamoring scrum to own something newbies never got a chance to receive in everyday change for a more exorbitant price so be it. @RWB's collector service announcement, accompanied by fine true-blue-views, will suffice.

I suspect most private stores of hidden treasure were not secreted under optimum conditions for longevity. (In a society where rotation of everyday items on shelves is dispensed with, the onus to check expiration dates is passed on to the customer.) Gold holds up better than other metals but that's why we have conservation (and Mad Scientists) always on the prowl for that magic restorative elixir.

@Hoghead515 Lovely addition! Not everyone is lucky enough to fetch a "37 DDO in their lifetime but I like the way you've hewed to quality acquisitions. And your down-to-eath honesty speaks volumes. When a salesman at the old Stack's at the Salisbury complimented me on my choice of one of the hobby's Holy Grails, an '09-S V.D.B. as a teenager, he told me, "you'll never go wrong with quality." And I never did. To quote NYS's motto: EXCELSIOR:in "Ever Upward." (I seriously doubt I could have picked this quarter up in circulated change in the late Sixties).

All jokes aside, it was WinNumis SA based in Luxembourg that sold a rare French Piedfort Essai 1899 🐓 (first year of issue) graded SP-63 for $13,440. + shipping, about 3 years ago. The two MS-68's were crossed successfully by NGC but their whereabouts remain unknown and as one who guards his privacy zealously, I am sure you would understand 😉 why I am constrained to making my wants known and sitting and waiting like everyone else. To the OP: I am going to check the auction catalogues I get from overseas for thalers and if I see anything of interest I will be happy to let you know. 🐓

Anyone have any thoughts about the recent authentication and certification of 61 Type 2 Rev. 1/4 oz. A.G.E. bullion coins "mistakenly" struck with West Point "W" mint-marked Obv. proof dies? The hits keep on coming, and they aren't being classified as errors. Merely unfinished. Nice!

Touche!

@Mr_Spud Breathtakingly beautiful! 😍 Extraordinary relief and evidence of original mint luster. Great acquisition!

Imaginary exchange... Wife: This isn't the original Kiehl's Musk Oil! Husband: No, it's not available anymore. It comes from an endangered species... But it is reminiscent of the real one... Wife: (muttering under her breath) No. Not by a long shot. Sorry. Yeah, my sentiments exactly. Here it is, 2021, and in the age of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, the best we can hope for is a reminder of the past. A replica. A facsimile. A reminder. Oh, and that'll be $85. please. When the Morgans come, I will give my wife the honor...

I know. Ten years. But I had to think this one through. Conclusion: As valid now as the day it was written. 🐓

Put a gigantic, date-sized, mint mark on a coin and all is well. Stick your modest initials, V.D.B., unobtrusively, on the bottom of a cent and ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE! (Was there a similar brouhaha over those over-sized mint marks?) Terrific coin!

@Alex in PA. Always a privilege to view your priceless, privy-less dollars. 🐓

[Only if you explain why a shovel is pronounced like hovel, but not like novel.]

@GBrad: Your new cell photo of the '83-O is just fine and as good as it gets with encapsulated coins and well-positioned lighting. Now,... hate, despise, throwaway... 🤔 I am afraid that decision was made for me when my (our) then new landlord chose to disregard the law on succession rights, and one day a petite lady with a gun and shield from the NYC Sheriff's Office showed up, my brother and I wound up in a shelter and everything of value accumulated over half a century was placed in storage. Unfortunately, he died intestate and denied access to my property stored with his, and a space to put it all in, I was effectively neutered. End of story. My goal now is to devote myself to my wife's needs, and if destiny decrees, get @GoldFinger1969 an '08-S Bresson?, you an '83-S, MS, Morgan, @RWBsuitable working capital and that guy up in Rhode Island a suitable hook to draw customers in to examine his goods. Maybe my "Axis of Evil" currency (the Board here declines to display) just to spice things up. Or those two centennial Morgans I never should have ordered that will presumably arrive before the year is out. 🐓

Maybe so but you (and probably every other member within the sound of my voice) paid nowhere near the outrageous price I did. However, out of an abiding regard for your prestigious standing on the forum and hobby at large, I will give you and anyone else who may be concerned a quick once-over before rendering my verdict on what may very well turn out to be my last indirect purchase from the U.S. Mint. 🐓

@ldhair You're a good sport. Any theory as to what may have caused the compartmentalized (localized) receding line of denticles and rim wear? An interesting piece overall.

@RWB Truer words have never been spoken. Have we learned nothing about the art of making coins in one hundred years? I haven't even gotten mine and already I want my money back!

This coin looks a lot better than I do and we're the same age.

Let's see: past 7,890 posts spread over 260+ pages made over 15 years ago. Yep, you're right!

Re: Julian Leidman... not knowing the gentleman or his selling style, I would say the inclusion of his name in a column with great networking potential amongst coin aficionados, may very well lead to further inquiries and future sales. That's what I call tried and true old-fashioned salesmanship. Kudos to the OP for accommodating members the luxury of sharing their first-hand experiences and references.

Really? I am still trying to make sense of what motivated you to say you hoped precious metals would take a precipitous drop in response to two separate posts -- one for silver, one for gold -- during your on-site reporting from Rosemont.

As one of God only knows how many customers were FLEECED, but good, on these "authorized counterfeits" and not very good ones at that, I thank @RWB for the sneak preview. I have not received my pair of Morgans -- and don't know if anyone else has -- but an unexplained credit turned up on my ATM receipt, in the exact amount I squandered on these "facsimilies" which suggests that in the months that have gone by, some sellers may have re-considered some of their unconcluded sales and decided to simply cancel my order in favor of an entity clamoring at the door with a marginally more significant bankroll in hand. If not too much trouble I would appreciate hearing from my learned colleague (as well as others) ethics aside, as to whether this scenario is even possible. If the spot price of silver were to drop precipitously, no problem for the seller. But what if it were to skyrocket? Then what? Is the seller legally bound to honor the order? [Note: irrespective of outcome, I am not now, nor will I ever become a U.S. Mint customer. To those with inside connections and juice: more power to you.] 🐓

Never mind the flowers, Great One, how were you able to resuscitate all those capital letters?

Ditto... 🐓

Actually, no! The announcement of the addition of deplatform (seemingly a cousin of deplaning or disembarking) was made by Merriam-Webster just days ago along with 454 other gems like Oobleck, blank check company, dad bod, vaccine passport, fourth trimester, whataboutism, flutternutter and zero-day. Interesting, because recently, a paper of record noted a number of words which had been quietly dropped from the dictionary most of which I had never heard of. Deplatform is apparently the latest way to describe being denied a social platform to express one's views. BTW, have you taken a look at just how much of your resume (and photo array) is available under your name(s) in Google? The next time a member gives you the third degree, I suggest you deflect them with a simple, "Google me!"