Henri Charriere

Easy for you to say. You don't collect (you know what). And if it weren't for the internet, I never would have known they existed. 🐓

Fair enough.

There are certain segments of the hobby that are thriving and flourishing, but it would not be inaccurate to say the hobby, as a whole, is in decline. It would seem to me you have been around long enough to know that. Unfortunately, in the near total absence of brick-and-morters, there is very little in the way of circulating coins to pique the interest of your average younger person. And the hobby remains top-heavy with aging, older collectors, like me.

@zadok With all due respect to the OP, it may come as somewhat of a surprise to you to learn that folks like me appreciate reading comments from the membership-at-large, whether I personally agree with them or not. Besides, we are obliged to accept what the OP has presented here represents a true, in substance, compilation of member comments. 🐓

Anyone know if this coin lies within the "tolerance limits" as mentioned in a similar, older thread for heavyweights?

Why do I sense a Las Vegasication is in the offing for the newest generation of coin hobbyist?

He ought to set it aside. 🐓

(Interesting. Kitco is presently forecasting a Huge upswing in gold/silver prices.)

@dleonard-3 Very understanding grader. I have an MS-66 🐓 with a latent thumbprint also so don't feel bad.

Ohh-kay,... now what? You were short-changed. You were robbed! I would set it aside...

Nice grade, nice coin, lovely denticles. Strong reverse! 💪

I sense an undercurrent of discontent in your compendium, lovingly compiled over time, much of which does not appear to have been addressed, much less acknowledged, by the industry at large. These are a comprehensive laundry list of symptoms in support of a diagnosis. All the warning signs are there, warts and all, for all to see. The only question is whether or not enough of the Golden Goose remains to enjoy a revival since the hobby's heyday many decades ago.

This is why I good-naturedly call you, The Great Zadok. I only regret I do not have the security clearance required to gain access to such top-secret information. 🐓

Q: If the 🐓 had kept its beak shut, and not appeared so cocky with its head thrown back, as depicted on those 20-franc gold coins, I'd be willing to bet you wouldn't have even started collecting them. A: I never really gave it much thought, but you're probably right. ".... but there is no reason to believe.... interesting enough..." An old and familiar refrain, but not without its self-evident truth. That's why I believe any coin must have a "hook," as it were, to attract the roving eye of the prospective collector and hold it long enough to satiate his thirst which can only be satisfied with continual, rote, collecting activity.

Green copper ancients? This piece with its own unique patina pistachio definitely has a lot going for it. It's even got my roosters crowing! 🐓

Funny how a seemingly minor tilt in gradient can so dramatically affect the terrain. Show stopper! 🤔

A two-part question. Hot diggity! Let's see now, the Set Registry. Okay, for me it's its sleek, clean, modern look and ease of access. It would take more than a lifetime of perusing each and every one of its delectable offerings. You can tell a great deal about a person by what he collects, and the NGC SET REGISTRY tells no lies and holds nothing back. As to the NGC collecting community, no finer or more diverse (and occasionally, divisive 😉) group of people have ever been assembled anywhere at one time and in one place, as here. One thing I have come to recognize, acknowledge, and accept is the likelihood that there may very well be 150 years of numismatic experience at play amongst members, and those not similarly endowed ought to tread lightly, be appropriately tentative in their responses and deferential in their posture, as circumstances dictate. One big and, at times, captivating learning experience where one never knows whom he will stumble into nor what treasures they may bear 🐻. As I very often have been "heard" to exclaim, I [truly] love this place! 🐓

Heavy copper! Nice denticles!

@gmarguli There is a pandemic raging, with a half dozen known variants, and you expect me to believe some guy is sitting around counting lands and grooves on edges? 😉

Me too. The only Merc I believe I still have is also dated 1937 circulated, raw and keeping the only Walker I have, also 1937 circulated, raw from the San Francisco branch mint, company, in a kitchen drawer. Great stuff! 👏 In my mind, I see the latter crossing the Golden Gate, same year of its opening. Coins do that. Forming inextricable links to the past. Maybe your Merc, fresh off the press, was a witness to that Hindenburg disaster? One never knows. 🤔

[Your reply completely stumped my wife and a quick internet check revealed why. The opening sentence in Wikipedia states the alloy "Billon," with a capital B, is not to be confused with billon or bullion. To me, it's all just electrum, or a close cousin.]

Very nice, gentlemen! And the hits keep on coming...

To quote actress Marisa Tomei on the witness stand in the movie, My Cousin Vinny: "That's a trick question." 😉 When precious metals markets are in a free fall, you'll get one answer, and when it's a bull market, you'll get another. How about I meet you halfway and intimate they rise to the occasion at least 50% of the time.

I am going to pretend I didn't see this. 🐓

@RWB's "biased look" is not that at all and one cannot argue with what simply amounts to a comprehensive survey documenting a wellspring of disenchantment as compiled from anonymous hobbyists from disparate sources. This is a temperature ✔check to some and a reality check to others. I believe the numismatic juggernaut has developed a power and momentum all its own. There will always be those who are in it to win it and have no problem riding roughshod over the authentic hobbyist with valid concerns versus those who would dismiss this undercurrent with a flippant, Let them eat cake. This CAT-scan does not bode well for the future. 🤔