Henri Charriere

Kind of like pleading guilty -- with an explanation.

"Formerly" stempelglan can't be too far behind. Sheesh.

That time, as you may have read elsewhere, has come with catastrophic results. There is a part of me that believed (figuratively speaking) if you are sitting in an outside office of a TPGS while the reputable well-known dealer steps inside to have the coin you purchased at considerable cost cross-graded, professional courtesy dictates that you will prevail. That did not happen. In fact, it has never happened to me before though it has happened to many viewers as presented in these threads. Naturally, I bore all the expenses and have nothing to show for my effort. (And the coin, re-encapsulated, was quietly returned to the internet. I don't know what to make of all this but readers will recall the remarks made on this subject by viewers as varied as Mark Feld and NevadaS&G. I was refunded the entire amount minus one hundred dollars. Interestingly, this never would have happened to our seasoned veteran. He refuses to buy a coin unseen and out of hand.

As it should as not a single comment was directed to you personally, right?

[QA used to turn up like a bad penny but no more. Anecdotally, though I haven't been formally so much as wrist-slapped anywhere, I have apparently been banned from every coin Forum in the nation.] All the best!

[I do not believe your average collector realizes how heavy a cubic foot of water or silver or gold are.] I don't know how big your suitcase is, or whether it comes with wheels, but gold comes in at well over half a ton.

Actually, I did, if I may kindly direct your attention to the top of the page [which incidentally remains as true today as the day I had written it 1 and 1/2 years ago.]

Here's an obsession that puts all of you furlongs ahead of me. After they took silver out of U.S. coinage, I took a sabbatical. In 2018 I took a look at eBay and not surprisingly found something that appealed to me: an absolutely stunning 1904 20 Bolivar Venezuelan gold piece with stunning eye appeal. I do not recall what the bidding started at but knew something all the others bidders did not. Though I did not know what it was, did not need it -- or what it was really worth raw, I resolved to make it mine. I outbid 33 others for no other reason than to be the winning bidder. Other than that, I had no interest in it. I paid $333. for it and eventually had it graded shocked to find that PCGS, which assigned it AU58, did not find it to be of Uncirculated quality. That, respectfully, is obsession.

The problem with 1804's is very simple: virtually all have been found, all have been authenticated by the very best numismatists available over the years and each bears an irreproachable provenance. There is, of course, a chance however unlikely that previously unknown specimens have heretofore never come to light. Only time will tell.

I would. If it was good enough for Borat to spend time in, it's good enough for me.

All of the foregoing may make for interesting reading but fails to mention the specific tool used by TPGS to de-encapsulate coins submitted for submission. To my knowledge, this has never been disclosed during, or long after a grader's employment.

There is something to be said for the "keep it short and simple" sound bite approach to commenting. I provisionally approve.

Sound advice, but not fool-proof. I recently purchased, sight unseen, a coin certified at a high grade by A, from a reputable out-of-state dealer with instructions to forward it directly to B for cross-grading, which ultimately failed. So, who lost, and who won? I lost without ever having had the opportunity to take physical possession of a desirable coin. The dealer lost a twelve hundred-dollar sale and has some ethical considerations to consider. Which leaves B the clear winner considering all of the foregoing hinged on a simple yes or no answer. Considering all shipping and insurance and grading costs were assumed by me, this is a cautionary tale of how one collector lost something he never saw and never had. My concern for the OP is what if he resubmitted the 1964 Jefferson for reconsideration for regarding -- which from my vantage point makes little economic sense, and the coin is returned with the exact same verdict? Take solace in the fact you were left with something.

Maybe so, but its composition is special, its condition numismatically desirable and provenance above reproach. 😉

Judging by the volume of [unsolicited] overtures I get routinely from auction houses, and the like, it would seem that presenting a seller's wares in the most favorable light would be the principal duty of such businesses -- and that includes establishing provenance. What have they, Heritage, etc., to say, anyway?

For what it is worth, every price listed under every grade in the French 20-franc gold rooster series, all 16 coins, similarly bear no relation to reality. Period.

No, sir. No alcohol, no tobacco, just prescription medicine.

Ah-h-h, another happy satisfied customer! And authors truly appreciate positive feedback on their labors of love.

I don't particularly like the tone of that second letter, ending with... "If you want one send 25c additional, otherwise your remittance will be returned." Telephones, understandably, were new but costly. And I can well appreciate the value of a quarter, circa 1889/1890, but the gentleman's customer relation skills are clearly lacking. Last month a coin consortium in Europe unexpectedly raised their sale price [for, you know] after I had already transmitted a bank wire transfer at a cost to me of $50. and a currency conversion fee from USD to euros for an additional fee of roughly $25. I balked and they relented, unbeknownst to me, shipping the item and describing it as a "global discount." (I later bought 20 euros in New York and airmailed it to them). They acknowledged receiving it but informed me they were unable to maintain it as a credit on my account -- or, in the alternative, keep it with my well wishes for the holidays, as I had graciously suggested. Maybe being accommodating to prospective buyers is against government policy -- or possibly illegal, but that is what I would have done. [I wonder what some of the rough-and-tumble guys who frequent this Forum would say?]

No death knell here. We are one big group of happy campers. Including me! My notifications have been disabled. I cannot follow anyone. Anything I write is subject to review, delayed, deleted or disinfected. Perfect for someone like me who doesn't take things personally. If I had known ahead of time that my one and only post would be placed on the internet for all the world to see -- perfectly legal and within NGC's rights -- I might have demurred, but the cat is out of the bag and I have to deal with it. I still can't get over the fact that my photo, posted on the PCGS Set Registry, magically appeared here now and for all eternity.

[Respectfully, you're going to have to hold the Forum down in his absence, you know that, right?]

Their appearance is deceptive. They contain less than one-fifth of an ounce of gold. My collection is "complete" but if higher grades were to become available as has happened last month after a one-year drought, I would have no choice but to negotiate a less than prohibitive price with the prospective seller. Judging by all the partial sets showcased on registries, it wouldn't be a stretch to say most are in over their heads. And I am in way too deep to quit now.

[Discount, or no discount, if I ever abandon the left coast and relocate all my Roosters here, I will give credit where credit is due: the OP and all my bosom buddies at NGC and the Set Registry.]

[For years I have been hearing about the availability of Grant money that sits there for want of knowledge or interest. At first blush it would seem to me that if anyone is deserving of such "free for the asking, no strings attached" funds to further one's scholarly research and publishing efforts, it would be you.]