Henri Charriere

@numisport Never occurred to me to check eBay first. They have a whole slew of such coins they applied a colorful term to: "Racketeer nickels." I am not going to ask the obvious question: How do you differentiate an "original" "wee niggle" from those evidently created in quantity at a later time -- and perhaps,, more importantly, would they be considered damaged and rejected for certification?

I had an ulterior motive for asking readers what their favorite coins were and why, irrespective of value. Everyone who has been a member since the beginning of the millennium can rattle off the specific interests of a handful of collectors with ease. We instinctively know who has expressed a fondness for tokens, S-G's double eagles, and Lincoln Head cents. But the vast majority of collectors' interests remain unknown whether by design or coincidence. Since our own @VKurtB mentioned the V-nickel, I should be delighted to hear from anyone who can shed some light on the 1883 No CENTS variety which unscrupulous individuals passed off as five-dollar gold pieces via gold-plating to the gullible or uninformed consumer. I bring this up because by now the educated coin enthusiast knows gold-plated Washington quarters of the state series are novelties with no intent to deceive the public (beyond claiming they are unique and part of a limited legal run.) The V-nickel, though no longer being minted yielding to the Buffalo Head in 1913, is perfectly legal. But what makes this gold-plated coin illegal? Is its mere possession, constructive or otherwise, illegal -- or is its potential to deceive others that makes it a Federal offense? In short, is it legal to own one? Is it legal to buy or sell one in good faith? I ask because I have never seen one or heard of one being offered for sale.

Hopefully, seasoned veteran member Coinbuf will see and respond to your query. I saw a mention somewhere that a '63-D PCGS-GRADED at MS-67 was sold for over $14,000 but no reference was made to the positioning of the letters A and M.

(No accountability. No apology. No need to go further than, "Hmm." Sad.)

A "new" 13-year old Mint roll. No complaints about its companions housed in sardine-like conditions. Never had a chance to circulate. I don't see a viable/valid claim of post-mintage damage. It will be interesting to read the comments sure to follow on what caused this type of damage. 🤔

@Iku Your coin was evaluated and encapsulated by NGC. Before you compromise the integrity of their product and risk further injury to yours, I see nothing wrong with seeking their professional opinion. In my numerous dealings with foreign sources, I have found, without exception, that their customer service staffs will bend over backwards and wait on customers, prior or present, with professional courtesy. While I cannot promise a positive outcome, seeking to elicit a second informed opinion may yield unexpected benefits. Decapsulation and "cleaning" however undertaken should only be considered when all viable options have been explored. I wish you the best of luck with NGC's U.K. counterpart and I believe most true collectors would be interested in the outcome.

About two years ago when I showed up with a bunch of Roosters 🐓.

Yeah, one member's desperate response to obfuscate another's with pure, unadulterated, nonsense. Where you may have been, when, and why is superfluous miscellany. And claiming you have never been gone from the Forum -- for months -- is a checkable fact. Sheesh!

@MAULEMALL... Welcome back!

@Iku If your base of operations is Europe, you may wish to pursue this matter with NGCcoin.uk. You may e-mail them at Service@NGCcoin.uk or call (+44) (0) 20 3968 3848 or fax them with the particulars at (+44) (0) 20 3968 3849. One way or another, I am certain they will be happy to review your available options.

Too lazy to go back thru this thread, but am I correct in assuming the flips dispensed by the various TPGS are safe, or being somewhat flimsy, IMHO, are intended for short-term use only, i.e., for submissions?

[The quality control guy must have been out to lunch on this one...] k

Fantastic!

Source: goldadvert.com / 20 francs of the Rooster 🐓 series (1899-1914) (The Contents of this source is comprised of: * Characteristics of Coins * History of the Coins * Cost of the Coins (Note the information provided is at least three years old) Following is the 3rd and final installment of INTERESTING FACTS... * "To distinguish a real from a fake coin, you need to use a loupe. It is known that the "Rooster" of the Paris Mint production is engraved with a tiny Horn of Plenty. * "French numismatists consider all coins of this [11th and last 20-franc gold] series nothing more than "Marianna," while in other countries they have other names such as "Serez," "Louis," or as in our country, "Rooster." * A number of original golden "Roosters" [1899-1906] has been remelted during the so-called gold confiscation from the U.S. population which was held in the 30's of the last century. That is why the original coins are highly valued by numismatists and investors." * * * * * * * [General Facts: A total of 117.45 million 🐓 coins were minted. The first and oldest 🐓 1899 was not the rarest, with 1.5 million minted. The rarest 🐓 is dated 1900, of which 615K were minted. As of today, only one has been NGC graded MS-65, with none graded higher. The rarest of the "redistributed" or "restrike" 🐓 is the 1911, of which 5.34 million were minted. Only 6 have been NGC graded MS-67, with none graded higher. Interestingly, while 1913 is the 3rd most common date (following 1907 with 17.7 M and 1906 with 14.6 M) none has been graded a straight MS-67 though one has been certified an MS-67+. Thus far, as noted at the outset of the thread some two years ago today, no original 🐓 has ever been graded an MS-67 and no restrike has been accorded MS-68 status. Mysteries abound... what happened to the 100+ million 🐓 minted? How many were melted? Judging by the census/population figures as compared with total mintage, the vast majority remain raw, uncertified -- and largely unaccounted for. That being the case, sellers basically agree on two things: All Roosters are popular and all are considered "scarce."

And in 58 years My Cousin Vinny hasn't come across any? Not even one? After hundreds of thousands of road- and frequent-flyer miles?

Check Mate You Win 🏆

What if registration were a requirement for insurance?

[Like snowflakes, no two diamonds are alike. I'm going to have to go down to the Diamond District and find out exactly what it is they use to determine what makes every diamond unique enough to register and see whether that technology can be adapted to coins.]

I understand the point you are making but any card-carrying, dyed-in-the-wool experienced nuismatist with a practiced eye 👁 whose seen it all would know what mint error or variety is, whether still encased or in the raw.

QA here, rank amateur with no grading experience and unlikely to attain any in the near future by mutual assent. Firstly, to grade any coin correctly, the collector must endeavor to acquire the finest example possible or view images of same taken under optimum lighting conditions. With newer, smaller and lighter coins this is not a problem, but with older, larger and heavier coins, it is only natural to expect more chatter scattered over a wider debris field. Secondly, the very fact that all the TPGS you've submitted your coins to came up with similar results should come to you as assurance that, coming from widely disparate backgrounds, knowledge and experience, the grading skills exhibited measure up to the job at hand. Case in point: the 1933 Saint-Gaudens DE. I examined her left leg 🦵and was immediately denounced for rendering a scientific diagnosis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. My analysis, backed up by those too intimidated to speak publicly for attribution was summarily dismissed without explanation, and superseded by a Grading Finalizer who deemed it to be the casualty of intense inspection, slapped an MS-65 "designated" grade on it, clearing it for auction which, after a few minutes of frantic bidding, realized a FMV of $18.9 million ➕ a 20% buyer's fee. Have you seen the finest available images of the coin? Forget the other banged up Morgans for a moment and, at your convenience, tell us how you would have graded this coin, and why. Unsolicited editorial comment: I forsee a day when forensic techniques routinely used by the Gemological Institute to distinguish the unique characteristics of every diamond are adopted by the numismatic community putting an end to constant regrading, counterfeits and stolen goods.

@Just Bob et al. Wishing you all a Happy Fourth!

@Revenant Well, here we are two years later; let's see how things stack up: 1899-1906 - many more people are submitting 🐓, but the pickings are sparce the higher you go. For example, you are very fortunate if you can find anthing beyond MS-65 There are still only a handful at MS-66 and none graded MS-67. 1907-1917 - the field is crowded with a few dates boasting 80 or more at MS-66 but no date with more than 08 at MS-67. MR. FMV, WHO IS A MAJOR FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH ON THE NGC SET REGISTRY OWNS THE ONE AND ONLY CERTIFIED MS-67+ IN THE WORLD (WITH ONE MORE MS-67 THAN I HAVE) IS CURRENTLY RANKED #3 BUT MAY VERY WELL ACHIEVE TOP STATUS THIS YEAR. HIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE THE SAME AS MINE: LACK OF AVABILITY OF 🐓 🐓 🐓 AT THE PINNACLE. [NGC HAS 37, OR ABOUT 6X AS MANY🐓 COLLECTORS THAN P- BUT MANY COLLECTIONS HAVE LAIN DORMANT FOR MANY YEARS.] WISHING ALL A HAPPY, HEALTHY FOURTH!!!

[Neat trick: occasionally I will spot foreign coins which were rejected by a CoinStar or similar machine which are left behind as unusable at a local store. The coins found closely approximate in size and weight those in commerce in the United States 🇺🇸 Happy Fourth of July!

Respectfully, I cannot imagine anything being worth more out of the packaging it originally came in.

@RWB Are you mocking that chiffonnier what's-his-name you outed as a "rag-picker"?