Henri Charriere

It was never my intention to represent my '37 buffalo nickel as a proof. It is not. But it is a nice example. I just reviewed some price information and see a value of $20. for an "uncirculated coin." What the range is, I don't know but regardless of value, I would like to send it to you to do with it what you like. 1, 3, 7, 13 and 37 are all my lucky numbers. I do hope this is also deemed a suitable candidate for grading by others particularly those with knowledge and experience in such matters.

1, 3, 7, 13 and 37 are all my lucky numbers. I do hope this is also deemed a suitable candidate for grading by others particularly those with knowledge and experience in such matters.

Best I can do. I would be happy to send this to you gratis, at my cost. You may want to wait to have the congregation comment first.

Terribly sorry for the poor images. I am unable to crop and reposition. I will try again.

If what you've opined is true, and I implicitly trust the verdict of a highly revered member, I would be honored to offer the OP my own uncertified 1937 Buffalo (in slendid condition) which I was prepared to use as my last free grading credit until I apparently forfeited it when, with two months left to go, I declined to renew my membership ATS and my free credit was unceremoniously clawed back with no notice to me, and both my user name and password were stricken from the records. I will post my nickel here, obverse and release, and if it meets with both the OP's and congregations' approval -- I will post it to you without delay free of charge.

If what you've opined is true, and I implicitly trust the verdict of a highly revered member, I would be honored to offer the OP my own uncertified 1937 Buffalo (in slendid condition) which I was prepared to use as my last free grading credit until I apparently forfeited it when, with two months left to go, I declined to renew my membership ATS and my free credit was unceremoniously clawed back with no notice to me, and both my user name and password were stricken from the records. I will post my nickel here, obverse and release, and if it meets with both the OP's and congregations' approval -- I will post it to you without delay free of charge.

Thanks. Now I have to try to remember why I never attended that, or any other, one here.

Would any member the last time (year) when a coin show was held in New York City? Would the reason simply be the expense? I don't know what else the reason could be.

Surely the thought of having this certified has crossed your mind.

Historical Aside: When the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened between Brooklyn and Staten Island as the world's longest suspension bridge in 1964 in time for the World's Fair in Flushing, Queens, New York, the toll was 50 cents. The only outcry was over the cost, twice that of any other intercity bridge or tunnel. Today the round-trip fare, once a dollar is $19.00. (I believe the toll for a six-axle rig crossing the GWB exceeds $100.]

No, you won't. You just retired. You have a lot more time on your hands and a big hole to fill. What are you going to do, sit around whittling wood and spitting chewing tobacco into a can? Now you can organize all that stuff you got a hernia moving and, hey, who knows, you may even start a Set Registry. The possibilities are endless. But the one thing you cannot do, indeed are not free to do is quit. The hobby defines you. You are the hobby! Nobody leaves the hobby. 😉

I would definitely make that Twenty-Two one of the two.

And an important consideration.

[No offense intended but this creation exhibits all the classic tell-tale signs of a tertiary stage ratzie reject.] A most peculiar pattern of wear and damage that virtually obliterates the date and other legends while leaving every hair on Jefferson's head untouched.

I wouldn't know how to explain this to you if I even tried. I guess Iike organization and that is why I chose to participate in the Set Registry. I began by filling the respective slots with encapsulated coins and am now [theoretically] upgrading. I don't know that I would want to go beyond saying that. [I once tried to get a TPGS to honor me with the lowest grade in existence but was unaware the date, at the very least, had to be legible.] Use your free grading credits wisely.

[I keep hoping that one day provocative exchanges not unlike the above would come to the attention of a direct descendant with the real inside story instead of him just sitting there and dismissing the theorizing with a loud guffaw and a wave of the hand saying, "that ain't the way it happened. Here, son, pull up a chair. Let me tell you the real story." 😉

My understanding of proof "sets," being raised by the Red Book as a primary source of information for U.S. coins, is they began to be sold as such beginning in 1936. If that is true, to what "proof sets" were you referring or was the context of your parenthetical reference made ambiguous [to me] by literary license?

Quite frankly, yes with one curious exception: MS-69. An MS-67 is laudable where that grade applies. However -- and this is my own peculiar stance, I make two exceptions: a). I do not believe assigning a grade to a Proof coin makes any sense and, b). in my admittedly skewed viewpoint, MS-69 is an appraisal, by a respected authority confirming, in writing, that what you the proud owner have in your possession is "less than perfect," in a universe against which perfection is compared. I know that many will find this ridiculous if not offensive but that is how I feel about it.

Another method... Type in Mint State Gold. Scroll down to "History of Popular Coins". Tap: "French Gold Rooster."

I checked your link. Sorry, what I meant was on eBay which will permit you to enlarge the photo.

Forgive me, Goldfinger1969, but I am not 'net savvy knowing nothing about links save for big cats and small jewelry chains. If you would be kind enough to look up mintstategold.com, under "French Gold Rooster Investor Education" you will come across as fine a recitation of all the facts you seek (including the answer to the question I posed in this, my first and only post).

It's 51° in New York City, as we speak.

I would like to stress that my coin, the 1909, which both NGC's Paris submission center and PCGS concurred was a MS-67 after cross-grading, is not the problem. My problem is purchasing a coin one recognized TPGS has rendered a professional opinion on only to find it failed to pass muster with another (for what I believe was entirely justifiable reasons after I took a closer look under magnification. Now you would suggest submitting it to CAC. But if my understanding of CAC (which accepts encapsulated coins only) is correct, they have the power to reject a submission but lack the power to overrule a grade, i.e., compel a seller to quarantine the coin in question pending re-certification. At present, buyers are limited to returning a coin and accepting a refund which reputable dealers have no problem doing, returning the coin to stock for re-sale thereby making their problem someone else's. Declining to sticker a coin is too passive and ineffective. It does not compel an owner to take action because it would be against his financial interest to do so.

My learned colleague, if you lose in District court, you can take your case to an Appeals court, and if you lose there you can go to the Supreme Court, the final arbiter and Law of the land. That appears to be what is needed in this hobby: an independent authority with no vested interest in the outcome. When there is a marked, discernable difference between two high-grade coins, the one in question, a 1910, and my own from 1909, only a year earlier graded by the same TPGS, something is rotten in the state of Denmark, and all the crack-outs and returns for resubmission or refund does nothing to address the problem.