Henri Charriere

Attn: NevadaS&G, and the NGC congregation at large... My wife and I as most of you know subsist at exactly one-half the poverty line as established by the Federal Government. Last year, we went and had our taxes done. When all was said and done, we were handed a form stating, in pertinent part: "You will receive a refund of $143.00." On a separate form, entitled: "How we minimized what you owe" was a line that read, "Tax Preparation": $188.00; "Other fees": $50.00; and "Total": $238.00. How would you feel paying a tax preparer $238.00 in order to receive a $143.00 refund? You know what I told my wife? We will save a lot of money next year if we just don't file our taxes at all. I think what you would have appreciated more than anything else would be to have someone refund your money at the outset as soon as it became abundantly clear there was no way to grant your request in a cost-effective manner. I believe ethical considerations have gone by the wayside in recent years.

It is always a pleasure hearing from you and knowing whatever crosses my mind is important enough to merit your time, attention and kind consideration.

Question: Is there any greater compliment than being told repeatedly, Do not feed the Trolls!; taking that advice to heart, taking the additional step of employing the blocking mechanism, roundly denouncing the subject in a superfluous post, and then responding to a reference made to the troll as deduced from a denunciation obliquely made by a third party?

Affirmation. Identification. Validation. If you are relatively new here (and even I am new here, too) you have to spend some time getting to know who your audience is. If this very same topic, phrased as an ultimatum, were posted by one of our movers and shakers, veritable rainmakers occupying corner offices, it would elicit an entirely different response. Our ears would perk up. There are members here whose credentials are so above reproach we would instantly give them the benefit of the doubt. But when you are new and have yet to establish your position and reputation along the pecking order, you must substantiate your allegations. What we are left with is a lot of conjecture and while I would not characterize the OP's goods as "mundane," the fact is all still maintain varying states of the generally coveted Mint State status. I believe I would have asked for a review first before presenting my case here before the court of public opinion without evidence.

[I predict with the massive cutbacks being proposed and accompanying price increases caused by the pandemic, all this talk about rounding up and down as regarding the penny will become a quaint academic notion.]

In the old days I believe all of the quite vocal OP's coins would have been decreed Uncirculated examples and wielding a hammer never would have occurred to him. (Mark Feld correctly pointed out that political references on this Forum are verboten, but if Biden is stricken in office, President Harris, like it or not, will assume office.)

Sorry to hear that. Places like Pawn Stars make out just fine because they are located in places where time is at a premium when you're out gambling and lose your shirt. I hope you make a spectacular comeback in 2021. My best to you!

The Last Words uttered by Steve Irwin before his untimely demise some 14 years ago in Australia...

[Hmm, why do I feel I know Goldfinger1969's answer to question (5)?]

Either I am seeing double -- or the camera moved. Time to get an update on my cataracts. 😉 Nice catch, Ronnie!

Not really. Modwriter has a total of 20 coins, only three of which are headed for the auction block. A complete collection does not necessarily qualify as a Great Collection. I don't know what specific coins Modwriter has collected or whether they reside in a Set Registry but he is apparently honest and humble enough to suggest he instinctively knows what he's got, if complete, does not constitute greatness. What would make it Great? Only he knows for sure. I wish him the best on his lots. It is never easy to let a collection laboriously compiled over time go -- and many members never do -- but it is an eventuality we all acknowledge and face, one way or the other.

True, but my Number One follower is also my Number One ignorer, as of necessity. (Considering the inordinate amount of time she is forced to spend poring over my comments with a fine-toothed comb, I am surprised no one higher up hasn't broached the subject of charging me pro-rata for her time).

Uncertainty goes with the territory. The OP is highly upset. Ironically, had I received a 65, or greater on either of two coins I have, I would be ecstatic. To date, no 1901 or 1902 French 20-franc gold rooster has ever been graded MS 65, or higher, out of a mintage of some 5,000,000 coins. And should such examples surface, depending on prevailing demand their FMV will be skewed by collectors like me who insist on having the best, price being no object. I wish the OP the very best and want to assure him we have all experienced setbacks at one time or another.

No one will know who the new Treasury Sec'y will be until his appointment. (I don't care for the present one and care less for his primary donna wife.) The cent serves no useful purpose. Worse, it's not even real; it is an embarrassment. The nickel is okay. For now. At some point, I hope the whole shebang is revamped and a fitting tribute is created for observance of the country's sestercentennial in 2026.

This, in a nutshell, is why I have refrained from getting involved in these auctions. A quick look at prior sessions should let you know where you stand and what your chances are, taking into consideration prevailing sentiment and the situation in the marketplace, as to whether you will succeed as well as you feel you should. I am no expert, but I do know speaking strictly for myself, the difference between a complete collection -- and one that exudes greatness, and mine still has a ways to go. I wish you the best of luck on the lots GC has accepted.

Regarding my rooster query... lousy pictures? What do you expect with a knock-off cell from a Cracker Jack box? I believe of the four dozen or so roosters I have, this one is truly magnificent. In fact, it's exceptional eye appeal is intense. With 3% of all precincts reporting, the voting has broken down thusly: gmarguli - MS 66; Hoghead515 - MS 65; and MarkFeld - MS 63. A European outpost of NGC assigned the coin a grade of MS 67. I had it cross-graded on the West Coast at MS-67. (The cryptic scribble I received from some unknown party suggested, contrary to Alex of PA's earlier-on-this-thread reference, that had I submitted it raw, it would have graded MS 68 -- which would have made it the first in the entire series graded by any TPGS assigned that grade. Contrary to the observations made by the aforementioned members, the surfaces are pristine, the example is strongly struck with ample original mint luster. In short, it is a gorgeous coin which, quite frankly, puts all five of my other MS 67's (and most of my MS 66's) to shame, each of which bear minor distractions with some being quite staid, unappealing and downright boring. There would be little point in pressing the issue without actually having the coin in hand but I do appreciate the input and accept each of your opinions based on the circumstances at hand. The actual differential in value represented by the single-point chasm is of no concern to me. An accurate appraisal is the only matter of paramount importance to me. To illustrate my point, I have asked a California concern from whom I just purchased an 1908 rooster to forward it to PCGS for cross-grading at its present MS 67 appraisal. Without prompting, she assured me if it failed to cross, she would have it re-encapsulated. The truth is I was more interested in an accurate grade even if it meant a loss of hundreds of dollars in value. I believe it was my esteemed colleague, MarkFeld who questioned what bearing (validity) this had on the OP's complaint. The truth is I too am disappointed with the verdicts rendered on my coin but I won't know whether I ought to be until I am privileged enough to examine examples of higher grades when and if they should become available.

Thread closed? Already? You just got here! Do drop in from time to time...

Alex, my dear friend Alex. The gentleman has stated repeatedly all good-faith attempts to communicate with them have failed. He is relatively new here, he is clearly upset, and out a comparatively large sum of money considering his expectations and actual results. (We've had two other members unload here recently; I am very interested in what each has to say because there is a grain of truth to each and none of us have emerged unscathed in the TPGS juggernauts.) We should encourage all comers. None of us are infallible and immune to being taken advantage of. I like to hear people out.

They say condition is irrelevant when you're talking about counterfeits, but I am curious, nevertheless. Is your Barber well worn? Does it appear thin? Is it silver or possibly pewter (or some other elements commonly found on such coins such as lead and tin?) No sign of reeding at all? Very interesting!

Okay Dimeman. I'll meet you halfway and call it an early nickel. 😉

[I don't care if Uncle VKurtB sees this or not, but I love the rich gold and iridescent blue toning on that well-preserved dime!]

[I still cannot fathom the blatant hostility leveled at the OP, still a relative newcomer with a smattering of posts -- and a compelling desire to share his grievance with the membership at large. Since not a one of you dared stick his neck out to venture a guess as to the condition "assigned" to my coin, the "upright, unblemished and without sin" 1909 Rooster, I will take the liberty of sharing with similarly disgruntled former members of PCGS three things I felt was a turn-off. Firstly, automatic re-subscription to the service at its highest tier necessarily denying me that choice upon reflection and forcing me to jump thru unsubscribe hoops to accomplish same. Secondly, producing a submission form which rivals the IRS in unnecessary complexity including a gratuitous additional charge based on the fair market value of a coin which very often has not been determined or is out of date. And thirdly, arbitrarily cancelling a grading credit, without notice and/or consultation prior to one's subscription expiration. (Interested parties who want to play "Grader for a Day" are still welcome to make their assessment providing any substantiation, for or against, as they feel is warranted (on my coin which has since migrated mid-thread to page 2 of this post.)]

NevadaS&G is merely divulging a truth the vast majority of viewers find makes them uncomfortable. In one of my earliest posts, the venerable VKurtB mocked me for complaining about the fees charged by a TPGS I did not identify by name: PCGS. One viewer recognizing the futility of defending the indefensible, dismissively wrote me off: "Life is unfair. Get over it!" It seems the beef here aired by the OP has struck a sensitive nerve with those too intimidated by offending the overseers to speak up. I myself have provided photos of a coin (above a post or two) to illustrate a point made by Alex of PA which suggests the ring of truth. I purposely withheld both the grade and TPGS which assigned it. So far, no one wants to take a stab at it. Not even MAULEMALL who seemingly condes cendingly intimates he knows more about grading while urging the OP move on to less challenging pursuits. Unspoken throughout the ongoing thread are thoughts such as, What if I were to submit my coin to NGC? What grade would I expect to get? What if I were to submit the same coin to PCGS? What grade would Iexpect to get? Now, the hard part: What if my NGC graded coin were sent to PCGS for cross-grading? Or the reverse: what if my PCGS graded coin were sent to NGC for cross-grading? Both have declared in their submission forms they would NOT render a higher grade, presumably however deserving. As soon as I have gotten a grade from a viewer here, I will share with you, the rank amateur novice and chief numismatist/grading finalizer alike, the contents of a cryptic note I received regarding the grade that was ultimately rendered. There is merit to NS&G's complaint.

To all the professional numismatic experts out there with over 150 aggregate years of experience: Guess the grade assigned by PCGS to this 1909 French 20-franc gold rooster I paid a ransom to have brought to the United States.

Thank you sincerely, Lancek, for your Public Service Announcement. It seems like I am being bombarded by those who've expressed an interest in moving my collection, including GC. When I was much younger, I was only interested in filling the holes. Now that I am much older, I've set my sights much higher and though my collection is complete, I won't feel comfortable letting it go until it is as close to perfection as possible. I think a number of us feel the same way.