Henri Charriere

For collectors of the 16-coin series, French 20-franc gold roosters, this admonition rings hollow. One half of the series has been locked down by PCGS; the other half by NGC. As set collectors struggle to complete their respective sets, they have one of two choices: buy raw examples and submit them for certification -- an inherently risky and too often an expensive endeavor what with other countries using a range of grades to describe their coins' condition -- or buy a label sporting the grade they seek, and submitting it for cross-grading with no guarantee their example will pass muster. Most, understandably, simply give up -- and if anyone doubts that, allow me to direct your kind attention to the appropriate incomplete collections featured by any TPGS' Set Registry. I persevered and completed my collection, but my nightmare is not over. There is upgrading to consider made possible continually by civilians who have coins they may have inherited, a further compilation of which does not particularly interest them. To the average Rooster collector, "buy the coin, not the label," virtually insures they will join the ranks of those who can only fill half the holes in their collection, or in other words, the vast majority.

Unknown to 99.44% of the membership, I started a journal entitled, "Why I Love NGC," Next thing I know, a Ford Tri-motor sprayed my house with paraquat and sharp-eyed neighbors reported seeing a tail number beginning with N followed by five numerals and GC. NONE of this happened of course, but I guess the TPGS I was mocking felt it was incumbent on NGC to stop the crypto-criticism of one of its members. Again, if it's too early in the morning for this nonsense, my sincerest apologies to Just Bob. P.S. My thread, which was a planned 10-part series, never took off and continues to languish on the drawing boards.

[Man, I love this place!]

The truth is far more complex. The news media have a story for every uptick and downtick and more often than not contradict themselves. Ask someone, anyone, to explain the run-up in gold and twenty-five people (especially the eternal optimists stricken with the gold bug) will give you twenty-five different answers. There are too many variables to consider: industrial demand, speculative demand, political instability, interest rates, finite resources, etc. The very same experts who insist precious metals will skyrocket imminently cannot tell you what tomorrow's winning three-digit lottery number will be, why the Martingale system in roulette is unsustainable and who this year's Triple Crown winner will be. My strategy with coins is simple. Strive to compile the very best collection possible for a specific series. It poses enough of a challenge to maintain my interest and belief my goal is attainable.

[Holy cow! 30- and 40-power loupes! Aren't you afraid to admit owning this heavy artillery knowing VKurtB may be lurking around? He exposed me for the rank amateur that I am ridiculing the use of any loupe beyond the 5- to 7-power range for grading purposes, using capital letters to emphasize the fact that in examining coins it is NEVER done! (I subsequently found out, to my amazement, that he was apparently right.) I rarely mention the loupe, a gift to me from my Diamond District days, and was frankly shocked when he recently brought up the subject of French 20-franc gold roosters in connection with the present-day census. I don't know about grading but I have a photographic memory. I have a few MS-67's, with none graded higher with the sole purpose of familiarizing myself with the terrain of near-perfection. My feeling is, without that intimate knowledge aided by high-power magnification, how could you possibly know what your coin is supposed to look like at its finest? My hat is off to both of you. Happy informed hunting! And don't forget to focus on the perfectly incised V.D.B. on the cent. A low-power loupe will confirm its presence; a higher power loupe will reveal its remarkable precision and depth. This is what separates the assembly-line graders from the coin connoisseurs.

[In trying to research this TPGS, I inadvertently came across a 2005 NGC chatboard thread with two comments from members posted earlier this year: "ACG Grading. Any information... ?" To be fair, I never heard of this company or the service it provided prior to Coinbuf's post, and do not have an opinion, one way or the other. What it has done is peak my interest.

Yes, you do. I will prove it to you: Is this, or is this not an Uncirculated coin? Yes or No?

"Paging Buffalo Head. Paging Buffalo Head. Please report to the Threadmaster's office..."

This is right up my, er, uh, alley. The steepest grade in Manhattan, Duffy's Hill on Lexington Avenue between East 102d and East 103 Streets, is 12.6%, and the car's hill appears steeper, but not by much. I do not believe it exceeds 15% [ Note: Filbert Street in San Francisco has a grade of 31.5%.]

For those of us who are neither investors nor collectors but essentially rudderless accumulators, this news is of no consequence. I have some silver. I have some gold. I am only curious to know what member World Colonial makes of all this as his rather direct insights both alarm and delight in matter-of-fact, take-it-or-leave-it, but open-to-suggestion fashion. I commend Zebo for bringing this to our attention.

There was an expression a member once used, "the grades are all over the place," and that seems to be the case here. "Rocket Man" has an MS-66 I am familiar with and I can't see why this would not rate likewise, but one member evidently sees some wear. Yet another sees evidence suggesting use of an abraded die. (But I have seen a coin graded VF which earned a CAC). I am going to go with MS-65+. (unless the + may not be applied to the obverse and any such sign precludes CAC consideration). Regardless, Hoghead, you've done very well!

[Firstly, thanks for checking; you're a fount of knowledge. It seems then that what we have, in its stead, is what I have jokingly referred to as Tales of the Crypt: various oddities and atrocities we refer to as errors, i.e., coins which would not pass muster overseas that we marvel at and praise here and not only sell, but do so with publicity and fanfare, at auctions. I maintain the quality of coinage is reflective of a country's honor and prestige. The integrity of every coin matters and the reports of sub-standard proofs emanating from our Mint by our membership, irrespective of means, matters and disturbs me greatly and perhaps more so considering current prices.]

[In psychology, this is known as "flat affect." No emotion. I believe it is inherently unexciting however unique.]

[Gentlemen of the Golden Thread: I have taken the liberty of copying, word for word, two lines from the release regarding the coin under discussion to further clarify any misconceptions, including my own: "Due to the unique circumstances and rarity of the 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, PCGS is taking the unusual step of, at the auctioneer's request, grading and certifying, but not holdering this rarity in PCGS' tamper-evident holder. "The winning bidder of the coin may submit it to PCGS for holdering to provide state-of-the-art [Near Field Communication] security at no additional charge."] The only question that remains, in my mind, is whether this will be one of the few times formal membership in PCGS for submission purposes is waived for the winning bidder in anticipation of the record-breaking gavel price realized -- not to mention the gargantuan buyer's premium.

[Never noticed the berries. Only remember seeing Spanish moss and kudzu...]

Aw, c'mon. Stick your neck out!

[Observation: not since the village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia was razed to the ground and all traces of life removed on orders of Hitler in 1942, has any surface be it ground, or background, been meticulously restored to its formerly pristine state. For lack of a length of duct tape, the evidence of crime is there for all experienced eyes to see. I think it safe, judging by color alone, this coin, apparently authentic, was altered by unlicensed semi-professionals decades ago who altered its surface but had the good sense to wait long enough for it to mature like a good wine. But this only begs the question, how was this done? Surgical removal? Unlikely. Abrasion initially, followed by repeated buffing? I concur that the lower limbs of the date suffered damage, but what of the mint mark area? How was it able to recover it's natural color and texture (smooth color-coordinated surface area) and how long did it take? Where does one find conclusive proof of alteration, defacement or damage or is all that simply to be deduced from localized wear? These vexing questions alone make this coin a valuable find. * * * Here is an alternate theory. It is a genuine "no D" but anyone viewing it for the first time will be drawn to the mintmarked area and inevitably want to inspect it closely determining field surface anomalies by touching and rubbing its surface. With enough rubbing, it is inevitable fingers will also make contact with the bottom of the date. I would hold onto this coin.

[Observation: not since the village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia was razed to the ground and all traces of life removed on orders of Hitler in 1942, has any surface be it ground, or background, been meticulously restored to its formerly pristine state. For lack of a length of duct tape, the evidence of crime is there for all experienced eyes to see. I think it safe, judging by color alone, this coin, apparently authentic, was altered by unlicensed semi-professionals decades ago who altered its surface but had the good sense to wait long enough for it to mature like a good wine. But this only begs the question, how was this done? Surgical removal? Unlikely. Abrasion initially, followed by repeated buffing? I concur that the lower limbs of the date suffered damage, but what of the mint mark area? How was it able to recover it's natural color and texture (smooth color-coordinated surface area) and how long did it take? Where does one find conclusive proof of alteration, defacement or damage or is all that simply to be deduced from localized wear? These vexing questions alone make this coin a valuable find.]

[Let's see now, Coinbuf collects nothing but high-quality, upper-tier coins... I say MS-67 (and am not counting the tail feathers. Ok, ok. Eight tale feathers.]

Wow! First time I heard anyone refute the baseless claim: when you die you can't take it with you. We can all be like King Tut and take it with us. Thank you, DW! 😉

[Cat's got my tongue and that growling emoji intimidates me.]

@Buffalo Head If you were to place an old wheaties on a R/R track, the coin would be elongated; if you were to place one in a vise, they were malleable enough to fold over in half. It looks like one of Alex of PA's growling dogs got this.

Well, depending on coin composition D could be Dahlonega for 19th Century gold pieces or D for Denver for coins still being minted today.

You have no equal and your sense of humor is uniquely yours!

San Francisco.