Henri Charriere

(And the concerns expressed as valid as the day they were first conceived.) 😉

I would have developed a hybrid. A strong strike with PEACE rendered incused in bas-relief, if feasible.

They are underfunded and understaffed -- and have competition.

Lange's running three-part commentary, "Border Incidents, "ought to be required reading for anyone who grew up and became accustomed to seeing these features but never knew their significance.

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In my sometimes crazy-quilt way of looking at things... If the price of gold were to rise significantly, gold coins including your beloved Saints will be loosed upon the market. And if even a fraction undergo authentication and encapsulation, I would expect that increased supply would affect demand. I know nothing about the population of Saints but would it be unreasonable to assume where formerly two existed at a certain grade, they may lose value if seven more were to suddenly become available? And suppose a few graded higher where formerly none had been previously certified at that level? *** I would be curious to know whether the reintroduction of the Liberty design on the obverse of the newer bullion coins spurred an interest in the subject matter or only intensified it. I was going to buy one until I discovered the UHR design necessarily reduced the diameter of the original. This fast-moving, ever-evolving thread is one of my favorites.

Discourage clipping, and counterfeiting. Some denticles, chiefly on foreign coins, are elaborate and ornate but distinct. If the ovals on a Rooster are round or misshapen that's cause for further investigation. Only you know where filling, usually done at a specific location if at all, fits into this.

What enquirings minds like mine who have a healthy skepticism of errors to begin with want to know is how difficult would it be to repeat this feat using a Chiquita or Del Monte brand sticker and what makes this unremarkable printing 'error" so valuable? Sad to say but to me it diminishes the value of the banknote and suggests at some point quality control at the Fort Worth facility was not as stringent as it should have been.

I believe the number of Hoards to be incalculable. They include Binion's but are most often found in safe deposit boxes, secret places behind woodwork in houses, attics, buried in the ground, hidden in caves -- even old mattresses. Most hoards are never found. And when their owners die, they take their secrets with them. How many people knew a huge hoard of gold bars lay buried deep within one of the banks at the World Trade Center site on 9/11? Who knew the CIA maintained an office in the complex? Such matters are rarely publicized.

My Roosters have oblong dots or ovals up against the rims -- and one of two raised mottos encircling the edges. I believe coins that sport denticles look better while serving a utilitarian purpose.

This is a fine specimen! And it's got a less assertive curlicue 2 -- but it's there! Both minted in the same place? They both share a muted U in UNUM. Shared DNA. Have either of you thought of encapsulation? These coins are nearly 200 years old! NICE SHOW, GUYS!

If there is a collector anywhere with an 1827 half-dollar finer than this -- curlicue two, and all -- post it now, or forever hold your piece. On the French grading scale, this is a Fleur de Coin, a bona-fide FDC. I dare anyone to challenge by grade and class one of the finest pieces the OP has ever sprung upon us without advance notice. I pronounce this the last word in halves. Exceptional iridescent peripheral toning! Sharp devices with prominent high point details. The fields are smooth and shine with brilliance! Unupgradeable! Someone hand me a gold sticker. This IS The Last Word!

Mass production with insufficient quality control. In the Royal Mint, they've got the Trial of the Pyck. Here, we've got Tales of the Crypt. Lovely.

Tks much! Succinct and to the point.

I know this is an old post but I love denticles. Why did they start using them? Why did they stop? Did they serve a particular design purpose? Or were they added to coins like cornices on old brownstone buildings?

Somehow I get the feeling you would have tried to pry that Del Monte sticker off that double sawbuck that sold for fifty thousand at auction recently. 😂

Well, in all fairness, it's either that or, if dissatisfied with the grade, re-submitting for reconsideration. What other alternative is there?

The rim you are directing the congregation's attention to at 3 o' clock appears to be a part of the protective plastic in which the coin is entombed.

What a shame! Now, no one has the authority to command: BACK ON TRACK. Or be accused of "derailing" an abandoned track. Here, free-for-all, brawls and donnybrooks more often than not suffer the indignity of having the plug pulled on their unspooling threads. I do hope the OP got the answer he was looking for. A fine thread, all things considered.

I have never heard the term either but it makes perfect sense. One of the reasons cited by men in declining to carry loose change -- and heavy silver dollars, is holes left in trousers. One of the more interesting points raised by Modwriter was the re-bagging of Saints stored in the original 1917 bags which were presumably made from a heavy-duty cotton or canvas. If coins, particularly heavy ones, are causing wear to pockets, I can easily seeing their being the cause of fraying developing into holes in bags. I have a sneaky suspicion, however, that it is the newly-minted sharp edges of coins that are responsible for the holes and if that's the case I don't believe our Just Bob will be treated to his A-ha! moment.

There are only two possible explanations... 1. Many an old one-time coin collector had kicked the bucket and left their accumulations to people who were unable to appreciate what they had and were not inclined to investigate the matter further as too time-consuming, or 2. Responding to a "coin shortage," those with good intentions simply rounded up what they had and turned them in for face value. This may come as a surprise to some but the vast majority of people do not take the time to look at their change. A dime is a dime and a quarter is only a quarter. They may notice the gold-colored dollars and one-dollar bills with the funny blue seals but that's the extent of it. When I tried to pick up a few "Inverted Jenny" postage stamps, postal clerks had no idea what I was talking about with one insisting the post office would never put out a stamp with an upside-down plane on it. (In a clever move, the post office issued an unknown number with the bi-plane right side up, and those were the rare ones this time.) This was only a few years back and I still don't know how many of them were printed, or what they are worth. It's possible I may have one because they came in blocks of six or eight, in sealed envelopes.

See what I mean?

(I have a theory that the only reason why the Europeans had to relent, besides the establishment of U.S. TPGS outposts, is unrelenting pressure from Set Registrants. Sad to say, but BU to me means nothing at all and the sad part is the few coins I need are probably staring me right in the face.)

(This was in the mid-1960's. I was his p/t delivery boy making $1.25/hr. + tips. I certainly appreciate your sense of humor -- and signature fixation on lower-case letters and ellipses.)

(This is before both of your times but looking back I (and my honorary uncle, VKurtB) were both denounced as Trolls and widely ostracized. In fact, I dare say there are those who refrain from complimenting me for fear of suffering the same fate. I appreciate your comments!)