Henri Charriere

Actually, no. Those were $100 trillion bank notes. You are a multi-trillionaire. And it doesn't matter whether they appreciate in value or not. They are worth a lot more than what you paid for them and someone somewhere will always want one. Having one in your pocket puts pep in your step and jut in your strut. 😉

As can be toning [but I cannot understand why VKurtB is unwilling to acquiesce and make an exception to truly tasteful iridescent toning which amplifies the natural and original Mint luster already there.]

Off-topic, but I believe there is a chasm, a growing disconnect between the Mint and the ordinary man. The collectors they've lost in droves with questionable offerings, unimaginative, uninspired designs, poor customer service and inordinately high fees.

Good point! I believe I must have spent a lot of time looking at old coins and World coins and admiring the "dentils" and other architectural details on old buildings.

I approve of plus grades, and believe stars serve a purpose. The more subjective qualities are best left to the eyes of the beholder.

Cognizant of the fact you haven't lost an argument in thirty-seven years... I'd appreciate your giving me a shot to present my case, in furtherance of the facts presented hereinabove two posts up. The 4-page form from the DHS/U.S. Customs and Border Protection was entitled: "CREATE/UPDATE IMPORTER IDENTITY FORM [CBP Form 5106 (12/18)] authorized on the strength of 19 CFR 24.5. Judging by the date I signed my life away, 09/26/2019, the shipment of coins arrived soon after followed by a "FedEx Duty and Tax Invoice" dated 10/11/2019, in the amount of $33.22. The Invoice included answers to questions a customer might typically have regarding why their shipment was being held for ransom, such as: "Why did I receive this duty and tax invoice?" Whereupon you would be overwhelmed with the names of things you may have heard about, but have little or no practical experience with: "Almost all shipments crossing international borders including purchases made over the internet are subject to the assessment of duties and taxes imposed by the importing country's government.... A shipment's duty and tax amount may be based on: Product value, Trade agreements, Country of manufacture, Use of the product, and the product's Harmonized System (HS) code. Customs officials assess duties and taxes based on the information provided on the Air Waybill, the Commercial Invoice and other relevant documents such as Certificate of Origin. "What are the charges on this invoice?" The charges may include Duties (Cost, Insurance, Freight) of the goods. Value Added Tax; Ancillary Service Fees, Customs Fees (a Merchandise Processing Fee, followed by exceptions (including but not limited to NAFTA and CBERA) Advancement Fees, and so on and so forth, followed by more questions and answers. They had everything but my fingerprints, DNA and bio-metricals. I paid $33.22. What would you, the Mighty Conder, with an unparalleled record of excellence on this site, have done differently when the lives of three French 20-franc gold roosters lay in the balance? I rest my case, and thank you for your time and attention, and the OP's patient indulgence. * * *

While there will be plenty of doubting Thomases quick to denounce or dismiss your views or find then inconvenient or incomprehensible, I, for one, enjoy your Farmer's Almanac-type prognostications and find your blanket declarations to be refreshing and quite possibly bald-faced truths seldom heard expressed in a hobby I hardly recognize anymore.

I agree.

[I know exactly who said what, when, and where, and I brought it up because it was one of the more interesting claims made since Insider declared no one has a right to free medical care. But, I digress. If there are those who are reluctant now to speak up under the glare of the spotlight, so be it. I still think it is one of the more interesting claims made on the Forum since I joined less than a year ago and has even had an out-sized influence in the direction of my collecting. For obvious reasons, I don't anticipate elaboration or extended discussion on this topic. 😉

As true today as the day you had written this nearly 13 years ago...

I forget who it was that retired and how one of the original TPGS got started and how one principal experienced doubt that his concept would take with collectors, and how amazed they all were at the phenomenal response, so great in fact, that turn-around times reached ten months! As long as you have an indication that your shipment has been received, you're on safe ground.

NOTE: THIS THREAD IS OVER FOUR (4) YEARS OLD!

[For the record, never, for one moment, did this certified rank amateur believe silver in plating, or in any other fashion, was involved. Now, if there were an allegation of gold being used to plate America the Beautiful quarters, I don't think anyone would be disinclined to believe it.] 😉

This is in no way to dissect the recollections of anyone -- least of all the Great Zadok -- but what enquiring minds (like mine) want to know is why no one seems to know precisely how many of these were minted? Any why no one seems to know why, or care? The two shared by the OP were not fashioned by primitive means at obscure mints. These are modern coins. What paperwork was relied upon by the TPGS in authenticating these. Where are the records? The ledgers? The memoirs of the coiners and die makers? If, say, twelve more were to show up as a part of The Great Belfast Hoard, would anyone question it? Could anyone? What was the Mint director's name? No moot points; I am looking for hard facts! Anyone?

Would those gentlemen who espoused "technical" grading as allegedly practiced by one TPGS as opposed to "market" grading as practiced by another, care to run that by us one more time in light of the above.

Re: FedEx...whatever happened to their slogan when something "absolutely, positively has to be there overnight"?

No one is willing to risk incurring the wrath of your fearsome emojis. 😉

Wise move. My order, shipped via DHL, was mysteriously blocked and sent back. A switch to FedEx resulted in impoundment by CBP and an extraordinarily intrusive interrogation -- name, address, business, DOB, SSN, etc. -- conducted over the phone by FedEx at CBP's behest. They [falsely] claimed there was no return address or description of the "collector coins" enclosed. They emailed me a 4-page form that had to be filled out IN FULL, or the shipment would be returned. I happened to be near a FedEx office that was kind enough to generate hard copies of the cell photos I had taken of it in a local city park, filled them out, dispatched them immediately and days later received the shipment bearing a crystal clear return address and a manifest that listed the dates of all coins, the TPGS that encapsulated them and their respective costs in euros. Weeks later, I received a bill for $33. I resented, and still resent, the coercive nature of the transaction and the fact that if I declined to respond immediately, three impossible-to-get coins would be shipped back automatically. Not my idea of the joys of coin collecting...

I like the narrative... rarely seen; struck as Mint record coins, but nobody knows how many were made. Interesting. I am going to defer to the expertise of fellow members who may be interested in solving this mystery. So what parameter is used to determine FMV and whether one paid little, or too much? Surely, someone must know.

[You are quite the gentleman -- and skillful.with emojis, too, I see. ]

[That's the previous owner's fault. I'd recognize Ratzie's signature scratch anywhere. Only kidding! Only kidding! 😉]

The likelier scenario is mining operations that have lain fallow.or dormant, would spring back to life when the economic equation favors them. It is true there is a great deal of metals on the market but I believe like anyone else that there are interests beyond ours that effectively regulate the markets in metals, diamonds and oil -- and a group of experts speculating on it all.

I appreciate the fact you understand my sense of humor and accept your well-reasoned response completely and unequivocally.

[I cannot quote book and verse, but somewhere in the Holy Scriptures (maybe Numbers) is a quote from a pre-eminent expert on the subject of populations and censi, VKurtB, who cautioned in substance: "one is not to place one's trust in the accuracy of such things."] 😉

There's nothing like real silver.