Henri Charriere

A magnificent set of hardware, but you know the rules. If it's got anything to do with sources of light, thet must be pre-approved by the Hon. VKurtB first.

The 1933 Saint-Gaudens, recently sold at auction for nearly $19 million, rather prominently exhibits a classic case of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, on her left leg as diagnosed by the Centers for Disease Control at their headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Now, if that's being cutesy, exc-u-u-u-se me!

@Conder101 ... Unfortunately, QA, the insignificant gnat is no match for the Mighty Conder and the OP who exposed him for the shameless "rag picker" he has never denied being shall pursue this off-topic matter elsewhere, if he has a sense of decorum, and a lick of common sense. Apologies to all. 😉

(I have a sneaky suspicion this post will come to the attention of member, "coinsandmedals," who may be able to shed some light on your areas of interest. Good luck!)

Note: The following is a response to Modwriter's inclination to submit a '58 proof he had purchased for $2. four months ago. I sought his outcome... You're a mensch. (BTW, the last Warning ⚠️ I got was for "inappropriate" humor, and I thought about you. Nice to hear from you again.) Back on Track: one of the most difficult things to tell someone is, As lovely as your 50-year old Proof is, it is not worth the cost of grading. Consider, I had a coin that was already graded which I submitted for cross. It sat around unopened for six weeks, "grading and re-encapsulation" took another week, and it was back on the road for yet another week. $66.➕ return costs for a grand total of $80+. (I valued the coin at a conservative $600.) Nice hobby. One final thought... It is said every man has his price. My email option, unlike my fellow seven fellow P- members who shrink from interaction, is available for all to see and use. Response (other than comments) was zero. Forty members here at NGC collect 🐓, any one of whom can avail themselves of the PM option. In two years I got a grand total of two inquiries. Aside: when a notorious druglord offered a multi-million bribe to police to allow him to flee to Costa Rica from Mexico, the new head of gendarmes had him extradited back and was made the same offer: When he was told every man has his price, he was asked point blank: What is yours? He leaned back, puffed on his cigar, smiled and said: You are my price!. A sentence of 40 years followed. The road to numismatics is fraught with peril. Learn as much as you can, ask questions, exercise due diligence, and as My Cousin Vinny once wisely proclaimed: Do not be afraid to walk away. It's your hard-earned money. Make the most of it. 🐓

I have enjoyed this chapter, but more to the point, any plans to observe the 500th anniversary (1624-2124) of the Huguenoe-Walloons or, for that matter, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1776-2126) or we still too busy tearing down monuments and building walls? Very informative, Lee. Keep up the good work!

@Woods020 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓

Everyone loves a happy ending. And a special thank you to Coinbuff for exercising his expertise!

Well, Times-Up! It's been over four months. Did you or didn't you, what was the total cost, and exactly how did things turn out?

[The sad sorry fact of the matter is not one of you bothered to answer the crux of the young lady's question which, in substance, is: How much 💰 do I need to remit to have what may turn out to be a valuable coin. Now, if the highly esteemed member Modwriter states he paid a pittance for the exact same coin, without special attributes, I do not expect the OP to understand what I am about to say, but the coin is not a worthy enough candidate for submission consideration. At the very least it appears to me the value of the coin, a common Proof 1958 Lincoln Cent, will not exceed the cost of encapsulation so as to make the submission cost-effective. 🐓

@Mr_Spud... I don't believe I have ever seen a dissection like this in my entire life.

I appreciate your advice. Only a handful of the 47 collectors of Roosters 🐓 -- both here, and "over there -- are "active" and only one! has reached out to me.

@RWB a critical factor that must be taken into consideration!

@USAuPzlBxBob. I wish it were that simple... My PCGS Set is complete. My NGC's "short set" -- all so-called "restrikes, are consistent though I have 1/2-grades along with raw coins that have been sitting in my desk for two years. There only a handful of 🐓 Registrants half of whom are serious contenders. None wish to be contacted and I have no idea how. (By the way, the majority of HiHo's "retrikes" are 67's. - so he definitely has me beat there, at least on NGC. I know all the members who have the finest examples but I cannot reasonably expect HiHo to give up a 1900, the rarest in the series just because I need one too. Besides, I seriously doubt he will be receptive to compromising his standing to sole mine. More to the point, I would have no way to contact him. To my knowledge, he has never once spoken up which would afford me the opportunity to contact him. I have a parallel collection of PCGS 🐓 Which would all have to be crossed to NGC, the vast majority of which were upgraded and left behind. The gentleman ranked #3 at NCG can rightly claim he has the only certified MS-67+ in the entire world, but it would just be my luck to acquire it at considerable expense only to find out an unprecrdented MS-68 has surfaced. Most, if not all his "short set" (1907-1914 is composed of MS-67's. How does one establish contact with people who do not wish to be disturbed? Then there are those who have the highest graded coins, not in any Set Registry anywhere, I appreciate your input.

@Just Bob If not for your answer, I would have been saddled with the unenviable task of knocking on the door of an infirm woman who speaks no English unless her Home Health aide were around, and worse, putting myself in a bad light by exposing my ignorance before the throne of the King of Tokens with access to unlimited resources any one of which could have confirmed the Pig coin was not only not a coin but a slot machine token from Macau. Thank you, sir, for your civil response. 🙏

@RWB Certainly you are not suggesting my Roosters are wrong!

This is true in NYC as well. I sense a conspiracy afoot to cajole the public subliminally into relying more and more on plastic. One need only observe the Cheshire cat's grin on Coinbuf's face.

🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓

[Tangential trajectory: If I may, I wish to compliment you on your writing style. You are by far the most polite Cro Magnon of your species I believe I have ever encountered in cyberspace. I do hope the Neaderthals appreciate the unusual distinction.]

@Treeman. At some point in numismatic history obviously after man made use of his opposable thumb, the light bulb idea of a Proof coin went on, and going as far back as Lydian times that was sufficient. If one were to peruse the older Red Books, a Proof was a proof. Some were exquisite; others were below par. Any points of contention were resolved amiably between dealer and collector. Then TPGS came along and shortly thereafter another light bulb went off: Why not "grade" them? In 99.44% of the civilized world that has yet to recognize the Sheldon scale, a Proof issued from a Mint with a COA was deemed sufficient. But a rogue "numismatist," who was a P. T. Barnum at heart, introduced the concept of "grading" the highest quality of coins produced and with a savvy Madison Avenue-type publicity campaign backing him, convinced your garden variety sapien that this was a sound idea whose time had come. To date, no pillar of the community has been able to summon the mettle to challenge a gaggle of investors like Erin B vs PG&E. I've gone on record, modest chiffonnier though I may be, and in an exercise of free will, decided I would not be complicit in the PF-69/PF-70 scheme. That, and my rumored 🐓 compilation is my contribution to numismatics, the latter of which I might add, is shared by distinguished members many of whom remain discreetly silent for fear of alienating others but express their thoughts, thusly, "Lord give me strength." Others use emoji which are clever enough to pass screening. 😉

[Strong denticulars; intact numerical fluted columns; notable absence of surface chatter; as fine an example of a III-Cent piece with a boldly-struck date.

@ Idhair rooster 🐓 🐓 🐓

Note to the congregation: while under the influence of prescribed painkillers immediately following surgery in January 2019, during which time my 🐓 collecting began, I picked up 8 or more of the 16 pieces in the series and came to believe I would be done in ninety (90) days. My Cousin Vinny criticized the notion continuously failing to take into account I had subsequently determined the original eight were overseas, dominated by PCGS and made the decision to redirect my efforts at acquiring them, already encapsulated at whatever grade they were available. Right now, some 2-1/2 years later, that set is both the current and all-time finest, subject to being superseded by any other collector determined to build the best "possible" set thru endless upgrades. Not that it should be of earth-shaking importance but "thinking" you may be able to accomplish a difficult feat within artificially established time limits, and "actually doing so," are two different matters. It remains to be seen whether given what's out there, immediately available for acquisition with little or no advance, is possible within my lifetime. 🐓

@Buffalo Head, whose lighting technique went viral on the Post Your Most Recent Acquision thread for exhibiting both lighting strategy thereby illuminating details on coins in optimum condition, won hands down.

I am constrained to agree.