Henri Charriere

Q.A.: To recap... Convicted: 7 cts of fraud, conspiracy, money laundering. Sentence: 25 years imprisonment; forfeiture of assets: $11.2 B; fines: $1.1 B. 🐓: Is this your quaint way of suggesting we take up a collection? Q.A.: Realistically speaking, I don't think he can make a billion dollars to pay off that fine banging out license plates. I was going to suggest a modest donation of one dollar... 🐓 : z's got you pegged dead-to-rights. You've lost it, pardner!

🐓: Just between you and me, you're right!

🐓: They've got a new name for you. Q.A.: What's that? 🐓 : Strip miner. Q.A.: Sheesh!

Or, drive a car, and bring a friend.

I shall only go so far as to suggest the query is highly irregular (and possibly unorthodox) without further elaboration. (And even after responding as I have with remarkable restraint, I suspect I may have stuck my neck out waaay too far, by simply entertaining the thought.)

To the OP: Begging your indulgence to allow me to proceed with posting the following intra-thread comment... [ @VKurtB: U.S. citizenship is generally not noted by the media in reporting crime. However, today, if the offender were a migrant, that likely would have been reported. Voter registration is not typically a concern of recidivist criminals. I know enough about elections to know while there may no longer be a poll tax or literacy requirement, there is a residency requirement and, as such, one must cast a ballot at his local polling place where the registration books are kept. Where one used to live, and whether they were allowed to vote there, is irrelevant. (Do you remember that Archie Bunker episode where he was denied the vote because he had not voted recently?) When you move, where your current residence is, dictates whether you can vote in county, state or Federal elections. Too, whether you are registered in a party determines whether you can cast a ballot in a primary. When I go vote, if my name is not in the book at the table maintained by election officials at my assigned polling place for the 55th Election- and 68th Assembly-Districts in New York County, I cannot vote.]

Short of coming out and making, what my wife calls, a "day-clah-rah-S'YON" (declaration) or issuing a proclamation, I believe it safe to say the $259.70 I paid for one of my earliest raw Roosters, only a scant five years ago, is a thing of the past. So too, are the Roosters in the $300 to $399 range. Today, any raw Roosters being sold by the major bullion dealers go for between $410 and $420. I was secretly hoping the rising gold spot price would result in greater availability of certain dates in the Rooster series, but that has failed to materialize. I would imagine Double-Eagle collectors would be sitting pretty right about now.

Comeback: I was made aware only recently that NGC's submissions are made in one office, unlike PCGS. I happen to agree with you; if I did not, I would not have had the unmitigated gall of weighing in. (In the absence of emojis depicting lying prostrate or genuflection, I give you this: )

🐓: Looks like your fanciful term, "High Wire," for "wire rim," hasn't caught on... Q.A.: What can I say? You win some, you lose some. Now, if you're talking "Speared Eagle," that'll take. That's catchy.

Note: For the particulars regarding the silver dollars that were taken, see a new Topic posted by @Jason Abshier entitled, "List of Coin Dealers that got Robbed."

Be nice, Kurt. The man will have paid his debt to society.

With discretionary release off the table with the disbanding of the Federal parole board, this guy can expect to serve more than 20 years, minus accrued jail time. Does the punishment fit the crime? Pretty stiff sentence for a first offender, but like Bernie Madoff, I don't believe those victimized would have stood for anything less. Here, justice triumphed again.

You do make a convincing argument; unfortunately, I do not know the answer. All the more compelling considering all certifications are handled centrally in one U.S. office. In my series, I noticed all of the [PCGS] coins slabbed overseas bore a standard French catalog number in contrast to the coins slabbed state-side. Two offices, two ways of doing things. Member Sandon makes a valid point, but as a matter of curiosity I would want to know why there is no uniform system of citation in certifications.

As regarding the theft of the contents of a USPS Priority Mail parcel shipped from Kansas to California... I do not see how this shipment could have been targeted, so that leaves a blind, hit-or-miss theft which then raises the question of what does the thief do with thousands of old Iranian Rial banknotes? Any attempted sale of something so specialized would surely stick out like a sore thumb and I fear, unless the thief has a ready outlet, it may be discarded or destroyed. I have to assume your average thief wants goods that can be quickly converted into cash. I seriously doubt this was a steal-to-order job and, if that is the case, the purloined shipment is likely a total loss. As a collector, I find this to be absolutely shameful and heartbreaking. Some of the other thefts involve inventory that is heavy and not easily portable. Evidently, the thieves came prepared.

Me neither. I cannot tell anyone what's supposed to be on a high tier coin. I can only tell you what shouldn't be there. An MS-67 in my series? I know it when I see it.

In the study of law, they have the "The Uniform System of Citation." To numismatists, a standard reference,The Red Book, two words, should be of assistance to a collector in identifying coins by their proper name.

🐓 : Any thoughts, Q? Q.A.: Just one... the gentleman from the Magnolia State, rather than contest the assertion made by the OP, validated it, and then elaborated. He basically opined if the observable characteristics do not fit the diagnosis, you must not submit. Bag city, not Slab city. No Sale. Good call.

🐓: So what do you make of all this, Q? Q.A.: Ultimately, the OP's question, "How much would this [raw, uncertified] coin go for?", is unanswerable, as worded. Things went south after a helpful member posted an MS-66 example, for comparison. How else to explain a thread that progressed quickly from a possible MS-68, which appeared to be "flawless" under a "microscope" to maybe an MS-67, to an outside consultant's verdict of "AU" worth "$20." (Someone saved on formal grading costs!) The collateral consequences are most regrettable: one member "ignored" another dispatched with an insult. And a surprise career change, to boot: from coins to precious metals. 🐓: Is the OP aware that posts made by ignored members are still legible? Q.A.: I don't know. However, I still feel a newbie ought to wait a respectful interval before taking the plunge onto the Forum. You know, get to know the players, seniority, and any perceived pecking order. Get the feel of the place. I hope anyone bearing a hatchet quickly buries it and forgives all trespasses from whatever quarter they may emanate and starts over on an even plain. After all, no one just leaves the Forum. Once you join, you're in for life. Might as well make the most of it, I always say. 🤣

Further to the above, while certifications at MS-68 for All dates in the series (1913-1938) total 271, there are a few outliers which perhaps only a devoted collector can explain... For example: 1913 Type I - 44; 1913D - 2; 1913S - 4; 1937 - 40; 1938D - 88.

FWIW... If it'll make you feel better, no 1929 Buffalo Head nickel in the annals of NGC certification history has been graded as MS-68. (Only 3 have been graded MS-67, and only 1 has been graded as MS-67+) While it is possible an example may be submitted, it is unlikely as the circulation strike process, likened to a fast-moving assembly line, militates against it.

Welcome to the Forum! This is an old thread posted by a member who is no longer with us... It's okay. You'll get the hang of it.

Looks like you're going thru a lot of time and trouble to persuade us, but why, if you've conferred with "experts"? What is it about their findings you find lacking in some way?

No harm done, but in the future for a quicker reply you may want to post general inquiries of this type on the "Ask NGC/NCS" forum.

In the days before currency was revamped with the introduction of security threads and watermarks, you would come across [mainly twenties] which had been swiped with an anti-counterfeiting pen leaving a dark mark behind. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to counterfeit U.S. currency. One hand "stamp" I thought was creative bore a website where recipients of a one-dollar bill could enter the location of their bill while seeing where "George (W) had been." Dollar bills have a circulation life of about eighteen months.

Once in a while, I come to my senses and have something intelligent to say. This is one of those times. I know that suggesting an incalcitrant or recalcitrant member submit a coin, clearly lacking in any redeeming physical characteristics, is the national pastime on this Forum, but I have never indulged in this sport. I believe it to be cruel and insensitive while serving no useful purpose. There are better ways to get one's point across. Some members opt-out. The rest of us understand. One member helpfully provides figures for what the sum-total cost of a submission entails. It isn't cheap -- and not entirely risk-free. (Viewers will recall one member's promising find (an old Victorian something-or-other was lost in the Twilight Zone that the mails have become). I believe the responsible tack to take is emphasizing the good advice that has been given while noting a submission may not be cost-effective for all coins. We all come from different walks of life, backgrounds and schools of thought. We share, however, one thing in common: our love of collecting. We should cherish every moment we have here and count our blessings. And we should be more patient and understanding with those who are new to the hobby. 🐓