Henri Charriere

1 hour ago, VKurtB said:

One possibility: 

International Collectible Fair
Maubeuge, Hauts-de-France, France

Negative. Not a one. But I appreciate the tip. All Points Bulletins and Be On the Look Out's, all for naught past year.

5 minutes ago, VKurtB said:

Also known as BOHICA. I'll expand the abbreviation if you insist, but I figure most New Yorkers already know it.

Oh, boriqua! A person from Puerto Rico by birth or descent. 😉  

23 minutes ago, MarkFeld said:

If you want to take issue with thread titles, there are plenty of better candidates than this one. As is, it lets people know quite well, what they need to. Just because someone doesn't like it, isn't a valid reason to have it changed.

Another way to put it is, How would you like someone colorizing your film intentionally shot in b&w?

I don't know that anyone who isn't a participant in a Set Registry can fully understand or appreciate what those of us who are, go through.  By way of analogy: Now that a part of one of the "greatest-ever" compilations, the Bob R. Simpson collection, has been dispersed to the four corners of the Earth, seemingly never to be reunited again, imagine the resolve, discipline and dedication required to reassemble that collection again. As one seller texted me after I made an ultimately unsuccessful bid to acquire a coin at a more moderate price:  "How badly do you want it?" The appeal of a Set Registry is setting a goal for one's self and following it through to completion, however long it takes, whatever the cost, irrespective of motive.

[That being said, if anyone knows the present whereabouts of a 1903 French 20-franc gold rooster grading MS-64, or better, I'd be very much obliged.]

1 hour ago, VKurtB said:

Could you use the one on the left to get to the thing on the right via the #7 train?

The Unisphere (still extant) yes, but not anymore.  The LIRR has always used tickets, both before the Fair and since, but this was a special issue token which enabled visitors to go directly to the fairgrounds in Queens from Penn Station in Manhattan.

1 hour ago, GoldFinger1969 said:

"Resources" in what way, QA ?

I just think you treat collectibles (including our coin hobby) like a piece of art or a rare book....enjoy it now and MAYBE you can sell it for a chunk of cash down the road.

That "chunk" though might be 50% or 75% or 100% or 200% -- or 20% -- of what you paid for it.   If you can live with that, go ahead and buy now.  If that's going to be a problem down the road, then don't.

Very simple set of rules. 

 

That's pretty much what resources are.  Basically, anything of value.  You've hit the nail on the head.

On 11/16/2020 at 5:26 PM, scopru said:

 

I am seeking some feedback as to what might have caused this.  I think several things are at play.  But in the bigger scheme of things I am not certain on any so am asking for feedback without skewing peoples opinions with what mine are. 

Any thoughts?  

[Now that our learned colleague RWB has weighed in with what appears to be a highly plausible and credible explanation of what he believes was responsible for the damage (and in so doing, totally debunking my meteor shower theory) I can't imagine a likelier scenario, IMHO.]

13 minutes ago, GoldFinger1969 said:

Collectibles ARE NOT and CAN NOT BE an "asset class" for investing.  Not coins....not numismatics....not paper currency...not comic books....not baseball cards....not !! 

[How about "resources"?  That seems to be the preferred if not favorite catch-all term used by government.]

[As regarding the hereinabove described activity, i.e., spamming, etc., I would like to make clear and want the record to reflect that: "Homie, i.e., Q.A., don't play dat." (sic)  I have never, and shall not ever, engage in such offensive conduct.] 

Fascinating stuff!  Superb photography, too!  

33 minutes ago, World Colonial said:

At some point, huge bull market in gold and silver.  If anything is going to bring bigger money in, it's that.

Agreed.  And at year's end, with so much uncertainty in the air, ... an unresolved election, a raging pandemic, unemployment benefits running out,  an outbreak of hostilities somewhere in the world, migrants breaching the northern border of a Narco-state, climate change, 35 named storms (hurricanes in November?) massive deforestation (Brazil, Madagascar) oceans depleted of fish, melting polar ice cap/mountain glaciers, disappearing Monarch butterflies [and yellow cabs] etc...  a portent of things to come and there will be people sitting around lamenting the good old days when gold was "only $3,000 an ounce."

27 minutes ago, Justin Henslee said:

thank you

Nevertheless, vibrant -- or more accurately, an aspect that is suggestive of vibration.

15 hours ago, Modwriter said:

I like you.😎☘❤

+ 1

20 hours ago, bsshog40 said:

This has been Sleepy Hollow for the over 14 yrs I've been here and they are still here with knowledgeable members who contribute greatly to keeping this forum alive. I like it as it is. We don't get lost in the misc stuff that lives ATS. We get a few rocky members here and there, as does every other forum does, and most get tired and leave. The one's that get use to this place are the one's that grow respect for the members and stay to become respected member themselves. 

Bet.  If anyone asks I will tell them you extended an invitation, which I accepted, and I subsequently decided to stick around. 😉

On 11/16/2020 at 4:51 PM, VKurtB said:

I just might be the biggest critic of CoinTalk you will EVER encounter. It is not a scam. It is a legit site. That said, it is owned by, and moderated by, some of the most active self-gluteal osculatory people you will ever find. It is a clique of personalities. Their moderation is heavy-handed, inconsistent in application, and not subject to appeal or protest. Kiss the rump of management all the time and you’ll be fine. They surely do for one another.

[That's an awful lot of rhetorical flash-bangs there, VKurtB!  After a presumably comprehensive background check, I was accepted as a member at CT, so how heavily moderated can it be?  Then again, I won't really know until I summon the courage to speak up over there.  Either way, it doesn't look very promising.  Thing is, no one has a right to post anywhere. It is a privilege which can either be denied at the outset or revoked. This Forum makes that crystal clear in its Guidelines. I can play nice here, (DINA's Law) or go play elsewhere. Fair enough.]

1 hour ago, World Colonial said:

....Most of these coins certainly aren't interesting enough to be bought as collectibles at anywhere near current or recent value based upon its' credentials which is why collectors will only buy it with the expectation of getting most of their money back.

Scary implications, but ain't that the truth.

U.S. Savings Bonds pay interest but when one factors in the inflation rate -- or so I recall hearing years ago, they make for a poor investment choice. By your definition, every last one of us is a coin collector whether our tangible assets appreciate in value, or do not.  (Tough call made tougher by that head-pounding emoji! 😉)

Outstanding!  Good work!  Who doesn't like Barbers -- dimes, quarters or halves?

On 8/25/2020 at 12:01 PM, VKurtB said:

One reason I believe the euro coinage is important historically is that I do not believe it can survive long term. I believe it will one day be gone, and a relic of political economics, proving that currency unions cannot long endure among sovereign nations who intend to remain sovereign. The choices seem to be give up sovereignty or have your own currency.

Puerto Rico and Hawaii both had their own coinage and currency in the 19th Century.  I believe the U.S. dollar is El Salvador's official currency (as well as 3 other nations whose names I cannot recall).  All retain their sovereignty. Re: euro. To me, loss of a country's currency = loss of identity.  [Wampum, anyone?]  😉

["Wind shear" is the term used in NTSB aviation accident reports; I don't know the equivalent term in numismatics. 😉]

2 minutes ago, scopru said:

Thoughts on what caused this? It straight graded.

 

This straight-graded?  As what?  What about the meteor shower that obliterated whole letters? What about the reverse?

[Congratulations!  You have achieved your goal.]

One of the more curious observations made in Mark Salzberg's letter (not yet two month's old at post-time) comes within its closing lines:

"We are only in the earliest stages of the convergence of the collecting and investing worlds, and there are still incredible opportunities for growth." (Emphasis mine.)

Whether you can appreciate the humor in this depends on when you were born and how long you've been collecting.

On 10/1/2020 at 1:14 AM, Cat Bath said:

The French are always digging, digging, digging.....& sneaking around.

[Glad to hear that.  Maybe, just maybe, they'll be able to solve one of life's enduring mysteries:  where have all the 20-franc gold roosters gone?

On 11/12/2020 at 8:32 PM, RWB said:

We must really honor our collective promise to provide veterans with first-class medical and psychological treatment and cultural understanding.

And maybe a smidgen of sensitivity training... "He's a war hero because he was captured.  I like people who weren't captured."