Henri Charriere

[Whew, that was close! Thank you Coinbuf and VKurtB for resisting the urge to ridicule the standard 30-power loupe I use for routine examinations. (While I have gotten a 5-to-7-power magnifying glass for my wife to use for reading, I still do not understand or appreciate its utility to coin collectors.) My feeling is this: if you really want to know what the vast majority of coins you have are supposed to look like, you get the finest example you can acquire and get a feel for its field, legends and overall terraine. Then, when you encounter its more common, circulation grade stepson, you have a good idea of what detail is missing and the degree to which damage has occurred. Truth be told, I am unsatisfied with my loupe and am going to upgrade (ideally when VKurtB isn't watching). My best advice to our new member is consider the pros and cons, however expressed, and settle on what works for you. And thank your lucky stars you were not asked to referee the Forum's heavyweight bout on the respective merits of which of the two sources of light are better for grading: incandescent or fluorescent. Take your time to get to know the players here, and what you read, with a grain of salt.

[The one thing I otherwise would have never found out re Signed Labels is Chief Engraver John Mercanti was a southpaw. Simply amazing.]

Knowing what I know about the members qualified to answer your question, or venture an informed guess (or plausible reply) I am going to assume they will want you to tell them what you have here, its date and country of origin, if not Canada. I would like to politely suggest closely cropped obverse and reverse views in their totality. You may also wish to consider posting on the forum's post which addresses World Coinage.

Grandpa? I've got a few years on him. What's that make me? Besides, have you checked this guy's bio? He's got an array of heavy artillery to suit every occasion. He's been involved in photography for many decades. Not known to beat around the bush, he can be brash and direct -- but brutally honest and a fount of knowledge.

First Coinaversary! Glad to hear that. Unfortunately for me, the vast majority of the handful of the highest graded French 20-franc gold roosters do not reside in anyone's Set Registry and none in the entire series (1899-1914) have been adjudged an MS-68 or higher, by any TPGS, to date. I commend you on your choice of hobby, and the enthusiasm you've shown for learning all you can about it early on. Happy hunting!

My friend, if the Salvation Army can find gold coins in their buckets when 'tis the season, anything is possible.

The strongest evidence militating against this being a 1943 is its worn condition considering its supposed vintage coupled with the fact that, save for a few other rarities in the series well-known to even non-collectors, this coin continues to be sought after to this day. How many hands would a coin have had to go through to attain that totally defeated look with notably, only the critical numerals askew? We have all seen coins from the 10's, 20's and 30's with that kind of wear and tear and few in the years since. Bear in mind, this occurred in the face of an unyielding onslaught of publicity by coin magazines with their Top Ten most sought after coin lists, All Points Bulletins and Be On the Look Out ads. Most of the Forums experts have weighed in. Those that have not possibly felt no need to. No certified collector likes having his coin criticized or dismissed out of hand, especially publicly, but the OP has failed to make his case -- and I would respectfully urge against authentication as futile, being both a waste of time and money.

Answer: Gold, silver, etc. are precious metals using troy weight: 12 troy oz (12 t oz/12 oz t) = one troy pound Copper, etc. is measured in avoirdupois weight: 16 oz = one lb.

These coins, greasy to the touch, have an interesting composition. A pure copper core and a cladding that includes 77% copper and 7% manganese. Also 12% nickel and 4% zinc. If copper, so dear it was largely removed from the cent, and manganese were to appreciate greatly in value, who knows what the future holds for these coins. Question for Kath13: which weighs more: an ounce of silver or an ounce of copper -- and why?

[You've outdone yourself this time! I had to explain your reply to this discreetly truncated expression to my wife when she asked why I was laughing so hard. Great stuff!]

[Editorial comment: wait till Just Bob gets a hold of this thread and finds there is still no definitive explanation for why, after 30 posts, the OP continues to see a 1943 squarely against the current flow of popular opinion that maintains minus the corsage the coin is teen-aged.]

Probably for the same reason some people buy cars that are expected to depreciate over time.

I am afraid you are right. I cheated (I admit it) and took a quick foray thru Google and discovered -- OP is advised to brace herself -- that "no less than 767,140,000 2000-P's were minted... The most valuable, according to one site, is the Cheerios an example of which was graded MS68 by PCGS and sold for $23,000. Curiously, according to the same site an "original roll" of 20 is worth about $30./roll. Complicating matters is a "used" example -- inaccurately described as "coin material - gold" being offered by a seller on Etsy for $15,000. The original, run-of-the-mill, 2000-P is not expected to appreciate in the future. Obviously, due diligence is required. I have no opinion on this, the wounded bird, or Goodacre Presentation specimens.

[I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I have been watching the lips of her Royal Highness now for eighteen hours straight and haven't seen them move once. Whistling? How? Where? When? To whom? Certainly not me.] 😉

If you can take a casual stroll through Etsy, and not feel some degree of queasiness or discomfort, you don't have your antennae fully extended. There are certain sites the serious collector stays away from. This, IMHO, is one of them. Caveat emptor!

This series was so short-lived it's hard to tell. One thing I remember distinctly is getting a first year of issue in change and wondering why anyone in government would authorize a coin which could so easily be mistaken for a quarter. They were universally disliked from their inception. A Kennedy half is larger and more distinct but when's the last time you got one in change? What role does acceptance and popularity have to do with scarcity? Fickle finikyness.

Man I love this place!

[No offense to the OP but if you were to spend enough time on these chat boards you would find that lots and lots of DDO's turn out to be dodos. I believe only a small percentage of prospectors struck it rich during the Gold Rush. In fact, it was said the people who sold provisions to the hordes descending on California (abandoning entire ships in the Bay en masse in the process) were the ones who made out like bandits. It comes with the territory. I think one of the saddest stories in numismatic history was the reply that young boy received from the Mint director inquiring as to whether his 1943 copper penny was real and being told none were authorized, dashing his hopes. You win some, you lose some. Here's hoping you will maintain your buoyant spirit and prevail someday.]

[Kind of ironic to think that the roosters I bought raw not two years ago are now well above melt. Encapsulated or not, the least we can do is educate ourselves, avoid vultures and try to be the responsible stewards we should be.]

[There is a formal name for that but crackheads called it "tweaking."] 😂

[Ah, yes. The D-Day "Wink-Linc." All it needs now is an official variety attribution designation and an interesting back-story. 😉]

It looks like a two with latent now blatant four-ish tendencies. 😉

[I like my explanation better. Three (3) moderators were assigned to monitor Quintus Arrius' threads around-the-clock in rotating tours to the detriment of the operation. That and the pandemic affected everything from routine customer service to turnaround times. Then Q.A. renewed his membership and cleaned up his act.]

I know this may seem absolutely incredible but what happened here is obvious. Someone was led terribly astray and mutilated a perfectly good 1943 copper cent in the mistaken belief it was the 1942 that was more valuable. And the evidence is there for all to see. An amateurish attempt to all but obliterate the trademark tail-flourish of that fabled 3. That's all there is to it.

Thirty hours later, and still no clarification... why? A Lincoln cent, date still unknown because the obverse hasn't been declassified yet. An old damaged coin holder. An "O-ring" of the type our own Hoghead made reference to elsewhere recently. Fiber evidence... And the most tantalizing clue of all: Alex of PA's emoji declaring, "They know..........." I am going to sit and wait.