Henri Charriere

Half Dollar for a gallon of gas! Now that's worth fighting for. But wait, there were no cars then. Ohhh, I get it. Great piece!

WHY IT'S CALLED THE SPANISH FLU... IN 1918, WITH THE WORLD WAR RAGING, NONE OF THE COMBATANTS WAS WILLING TO LET THE OTHERS KNOW THAT THE FLU WAS SPREADING THROUGH ITS ARMY, POTENTIALLY DECIMATING ITS TROOPS. BUT IN MAY, WHEN THE VIRUS REACHED SPAIN, WHICH WAS NOT A PARTICIPANT IN THE CONFLICT, AND THE KING WAS STRICKEN, THERE WAS NO SUCH RETICENCE. HE SURVIVED THE ILLNESS (AS DID WOODROW WILSON) AND EVER AFTER IT WAS KNOWN AS THE SPANISH FLU. -AM/METRO, MARCH 23, 2021

Just logged in to CoinTalk, and this is the response I got: "(You have insufficient privileges to reply here.)" I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

To be clear -- before I get more javelins thrown at me, I do not advocate the use of any agent on a collectible. If you have something in your possession, that clearly exhibits little or no numismatic or collector value, and you're literally salivating at the thought of playing Mad Scientist for "research purposes," by all means do so. But If in your travels you come across a 1913 U.S. nickel with what you feel is an odd oversized letter V on its reverse, it's best to refrain from doing anything to make it look better until you get a qualified second opinion. As a general rule, "cleaning" of any kind is looked down upon in this hobby, and rightly so. Note to those submitting photos to fellow members via the appropriate thread for clarification, appraisal -- or amusement: bear in mind this is a Forum open to members of every stripe and economic status. Try to express yourself clearly and in presentable fashion. Wash your hands, brush and trim your nails, choose your words with caution -- and display your coins properly, by their edges. Remember, first impressions count. I do not wish to speculate as to whether any of the foregoing applies to a valued member like Alex of PA who can express his thoughts concisely and coherently with the presentation of a single appropriately animated colorful emoji. Alright Idhair, Back on Track...

When a member presents a satisfactory [pixelated] image of an example minus the presence of telltale prongs I think it safe to say it is in his possession and was sold to him "as is" and now that he has it he'd like to know exactly what he's got. The coin, never intended for mass circulation, has an interesting history. There are 170+ images of this commemorative quarter presented on eBay should the OP wish to compare his with theirs and Wikipedia indicates prices of $325. for an AU-50 and $3,750 "in near pristine" for an MS-60. To be fair, on eBay you will find such coins going for less, and some well into the $4,000 range. It is worth pointing out that cleaned coins described as such may be found as well. I am inclined to suggest the coin be submitted for certification.

Actually, when the Forum was in an uproar a few weeks back and you innocently asked, Who is this Nevada guy, among other things I knew you were straight as an arrow just like my wife: upright, blameless and without sin. I call her Jobecita. Her father was a pastor and a stern taskmaster. We didn't date (I later learned she never had a best friend, even in school until after we got married and I do not believe any member of our surviving famlies are aware we have never consummated the marriage. It is our first and we are both in our mid-to-late Sixties. Incidentically, CoinTalk is just that. Excomunicating someone may make you feel like God but only their accountants -- and Clairol hairdressers, know for sure. ..

I am going to make my alias, UrbanRenewal37. 😉

Lemme see... How shall I word this... Okay, got it: I know this is blasphemous bordering on the sacrilegious but, be honest, have you ever experienced a lapse of judgment and thought, if only for a fleeting moment, and wondered what would happen if you sprayed WD-40 on this, both sides, and let it sit overnight? That's the one "dip" or "cleaning agent" I have never heard mentioned in any post.

[What enquiring minds want to know is what David Vagi of NGC would say after he examines the coin, puts away his loupe and Rick of Pawn Stars fame asks him the only question that ever seems to be on his mind: "So, what's it worth"? Anybody want to hazard a guess? Anybody want to suggest certification and encapsulation if only to protect it's apparently pristine condition considering its age?

Minus the entirely gratuitous mention of magnets, you all but insured your initial post would self-implode before you even had a chance to call for help! (Even the Moderators are chuckling discreetly.) What about the non-disclosure agreement every contestant is asked to sign before going head-to-head with all the experts waiting in the wings ready to pounce at them with their aggregate century and a half of professional numismatic experience? Now, only three posts later, your call for help was answered, the gentlemen who were kind enough to respond threw you a life jacket and, obliged to assist you -- in the old days they used the term damsel in distress -- respectfully tied up the loose ends of this thread, laden with promising potential, and gave your threesome a decent burial in the site's archives. I am sure the membership appreciates your forthrightness, humor, civility and humbleness. You are an asset to the Forum and not afraid to speak up about something you sincerely seek clarification on. You came to the right place.

First time I have ever seen this type and probably the only coin in existence which can be identified as obverse or reverse just by looking at the [slanted/angled] denticles alone. Very fine example of a Mint state coin. Someone evidently took great care to preserve this coin. To pin down a grade, you would have to hear from someone who knows where to look for wear. Best to hear what others have to say, and why. Very lovely!

Upping the ante, are we? I wish I were there to see VKurtB's face when he gets a glimpse of this! Finest Rosie I have ever seen -- and in living technicolor at that. Brilliant!

Well, my friend. It looks like you found my Achilles' heel. I have been re-running this short clip (which I was previously unacquainted with) practically every day for the past month. Very entertaining!

The sharpest strike I have ever seen one of these! Great catch!

Keep playing. Membership in top-notch Mercs has its privileges. Your footwork accentuates the positive. I never knew Mercs could look so good. My mom, deceased, bless her south would have become infatuated with these crystal clear, impossibly beautiful gems! Nice work. I nominate the Walker-- if you do not wish to have it formally certified -- to be the set I have ever seen in my life! Att : Alex from PA and VKurbB has this remarkable coin put to rest The Last vestige of Sleepy Hollow? You, Buffalo Head (quoting Archhie Bunker) are something else!

Fine, I triple-dare anyone to say an unkind word about the toning on this absolutely breath-taking bison!

[Respectfully, your comment puts us all in the cross-hairs of that young fellow who inquired as the whether his 1943 coin was a copper cent and received a one-line response from the Mint director stating none were authorized, dashing his hopes. I think the best way we should approach this is to say it is improbable but highly unlikely. The quickest determinant is the presence of that distinct copper core -- but it is not conspicuous on every clad half dollar.]

Honest answer: I don't know. The fact of the matter is grades, as one member noted elsewhere on the Forum, "are all over the place." I was reminded of that when I compared one gold MS-67 I was offered with five others I own none of which have toning or distractions of any kind, and found the one offered to be clearly lacking. In fact, a grade of MS-66 would have been overly generous. What numismatics needs, going well beyond CAC, is an accredited appeals board with the power to order TPGS to raise or lower their grades on questionioned grades -- or justify their actions based on previously graded examples. All else are selling points.

Regarding the theft of the bag of the 1928 gold dollar. If the government is still interested in recovering them, they will get the inside story on someone's deathbed likely inadvertently from an aged female patient, via a spontaneous declaration, who was told: DO NOT SPEND THEM, and, KEEP YOUR MOUTH(S) SHUT! I experienced that dream last nite and was left with the impression they were buried, hopefully, with instructions to their last location.

Take a guy like me with no axe to grind and no reputation to lose owing to ignorance... Question: would one make out better with standard encapsulation using high tech, space-agr plastic and chip technology or use very virtually inbdistructable tempered glass featuring an "unreakable" glass, to maintain glass coins in conditon originsl condition interred? Related question to our learned colleage: is there any trutj to the fanciful thinking I seemed to have developed that U.K. coins experience far fewer deficiencies durjng the course of production. -- across the minting spectrum -- than their U.S. counterparts? Maybe what's needed is a Trials of the Crypt (my joke) to maintain consumer confidence. I am still a Closet believer in the virtues of plastic currency as used first in Australia.

A well-known member who apparently dislikes toning, period. 😉

Twins? Alright then, I double-dare VKurtB to say something about these tastefully toned examples!

Good question. The only ones I am familiar with are strictly bullion class. The U.S., U.K., South Africa, Austria, Australia, etc. There was a 10,000 gourd honoring Francois Duvalier which I had never seen before for sale on eBay and last residing in China of all places, but I am sure it was a limited edition struck for ceremonial purposes.

My periscope is aimed at you-know-what exclusively. Little by little, the long arc of all things numismatic, is embracing encapsulation for their coins. I regret to say that to me, personally, choice- or gem- B.U. is -- as VKurtB has made clear -- not very helpful to anyone seeking upper-tier coins. To quote that old musical, "If I were a rich man..." I would probably take a chance -- and have -- but am reluctant to do so after a gorgeous specimen with absolutely no fault to my eyes, described as FDC, a range of MS-65 to MS-70, came back MS-64+ by PCGS. (As a favor to you, I will check the tony shops with top shelf merchandise in Europe and have a definitive answer for you tonite.)

I agree.