Henri Charriere

23 hours ago, VKurtB said:

Please stop it with this advice. It’s irresponsible. 

[Premature advice made prior to Crawtomatic's subsequent helpful clarification. That's all.]

They all look suspiciously copper-ish to me -- but lighting cannot be overlooked as a factor.

28 minutes ago, VKurtB said:

It is a “hyper normal” 10 yen coin, of the type still being minted to this day. The “stuff” under the “10” identifies the emperor and the ordinal year (1st, 2nd, ... 28th, etc.) of that emperor’s reign. 

And the lovely wreath and bow... what do they represent?

15 minutes ago, Nvon said:

Nice reeding... and even a suggestion of cross-breeding!  😉

And the hits keep on coming.  Great stuff!

1 hour ago, GoldFinger1969 said:

I wish there were hi-res scans done by a computer or today's detailed super-cameras that the TPGs used to correctly ID submitted coins.....bank the photos...and then prevent re-submissions.

I agree, wholeheartedly.

26 minutes ago, Moxie15 said:

 

I will firmly state that I have not seen a post that I thought was so far out of bounds that it needed to be reported.

Perhaps my use of the term 'thought police' was incorrect, I may have chosen another term if I had thought about it more.

I have not seen any offensive or outrageous posts either but then I'm from New York City:  nothing phases me.  I have seen and heard it all. Regarding Moderation, I prefer the appellation used in Afghanistan: the Committee for the Prevention of Vice and the Promotion of Virtue.  And, if "thought" police be deemed insufficient, I would prefer something along the lines of Iraq's "secret" police: the Mukhabarat.  

The Forum is like one big playground with lots of toys and playmates. And with a new year coming we'll all get a chance to re-invent ourselves. Who can ask for anything more?

6 hours ago, Greenstang said:

Is it raised or incuse. Hard to tell from the photo.

Appears to be both: check the "N".  Plus molten fricassee.

11 hours ago, Morpheus1967 said:

Your serial number is just the number of your invoice plus the line number of the coin on that invoice.  For example, if the invoice number is 1234567, the first coin number will be 1234567-001, the second coin 1234567-002, etc.

Each TPGS has its own format.  This is the first time I have heard an explanation of any format used and do not doubt its veracity. 

The silver dollars you have are worth roughly $30 each in average circulated condition.

On 11/9/2020 at 12:10 PM, VKurtB said:

Is it really? I thought the plating was pure copper. No? Do you have a source for the brass plating? The Mint says "copper".

I believe you are correct. The loss of the exterior copper plating exposes the inner zinc-copper alloy core to environmental erosion.

The "problem" with this War nickel is lack of the customary wear one would expect to find most noticeably on the shoulder where it would appear as a dark gray owing to the coin's tri-partite composition.  Not only is your nickel an authentic silver-bearing coin, it is of a higher grade than any I have ever found in circulation before they were all gobbled up by collectors and speculators.  The silver melt value of war nickels on the lower end of the grade spectrum is currently worth:  $1.38.

I would direct my inquiry to Jarden Zinc Products the outside manufacturer responsible for producing these blanks.  (This is colloquially known as the "Zinc-Linc-Jinx." The rejection of one metal (copper) by the dominant one (zinc) it is forced to co-exist with for an extended period of time under unimaginable pressure.

Speaking strictly as a rank amateur, it seems to me -- without taking sides, that as regarding incandescents vs fluorescents, one light source may very well be well-suited for grading (and all that that entails) while another is hands- down perfectly positioned for photography duty.  Does this mean one is deficient to do the work of both well. Yes, that is what I am suggesting.

Another observation: the dual Reading Rooms of the New York Public Library's main building (now named for a benefactor as are most of the bridges and tunnels) are outfitted with ordinary table lamps outfitted with incandescent bulbs which have proved sufficient for the needs of all patrons none of whom have ever tampered with the devices for some special need or advantage in the fifty years I have dropped by to more closely examine mysterious striations on coins -- or catch up on the daily news.

Re: the "Report Post" function...

Whether I'm right, or whether I'm wrong

Whether I find a place in this world or never belong I gotta be me, I gotta be me.  What else can I be but what I am

***

I'll go it alone, that's how it must be.  I can't be right for somebody else. If I'm not right for me

I gotta be free, I just gotta be free.  Daring to try, to do it or die

I GOTTA BE ME-E-E!

-courtesy Sammy Davis, Jr.

[Note to earlycoin-migratio...  Coming out like a cicada every so often, I bet you never thought a simple query would re-ignite a firestorm of opinion on a residual matter that has been lying dormant until you reawakened it with only your third post in years.

Welcome back to the Forum, a scaled back, more closely supervised Gladiator School of Numismatics where common courtesy reigns supreme!]

8 hours ago, GoldFinger1969 said:

I'm still waiting to see an actual newsletter to see more detail....but it's pretty easy to come up with multiple coins that represent bullion, quasi-numismatics, premium numismatics, and ultra-rares.

Unless a bunch of one year or mintmark come out for sale or at once...or the population data changes...declines for one kind of coin should be pretty much mirrored for others of the same type (over time).  In other words, focusing on the SPECIFIC coins is a bit too specific as there might not be many liquid buys/sales to establish a true FMV or price.

I think an MS63 grade for the 1907 HR is a pretty popular combination....but why an MS64 for the 1928 ?  Why not MS65, the first level of Gem Quality ?  Or go down to MS63 or 62 to better approximate generic bullion ?

I appreciate all the sales data from NGC, PCGS, HA, etc...but what might be really great is an index comprising multiple Saints...or better yet, an index for generics, quasi-numismatics, premiums, etc.

JMHO.....

 

Valid concerns.

2 hours ago, Cat Bath said:

Here's one for Quintus

It's only a 66 and they barfed up the TrueView ATS but I had to have it because toning isn't that common on Marianne coins.

BTW...There is no rim damage like it appears there is on the obverse above the I

I still don't know why they did an in-holder shot when I was having it re-slabbed.

"Only" an MS-66?  It happens to be the rarest date mintage-wise of the so-called re-strike series, 1907-1914; only the 1900, the second of the so-called original series, 1899-1906, is scarcest, with the 1899, the first date of the series coming in at third place.   Your 1911 is very nicely toned and speaks for itself.  Great catch, and thanks for brightening up my day! (I grew up with cats, all male, no two alike with different temperaments, one of which formed a lasting friendship with a mouse we had.)

PUBLIC APOLOGY 

The following is made necessary because the gentleman to whom I directed my scurrilous remarks, by mocking his, and his reputable concern's, professional ability to grade a specific category of early Colonial coinage was unwarranted and without foundation, as the above example and following admission exemplifies.

This is a 1910 [PCGS MS-64+] French 20-franc gold rooster a/k/a or coq Marianne.  Description:  bright honey golden hue and original mint luster.  I purchased it raw in the grossly mistaken belief it would become, upon certification, the very first such coin in the 16-piece series to be adjudged MS-68, by any TPGS in the entire world.  While both the obverse and reverse appear flawless it is clear I had, and with the subsequent acquisition of many more such coins, continue to have a very limited understanding of basic grading apparently exacerbated by an extended absence from all things numismatic.

It is my fervent hope seasoned veteran, MarkFeld accepts my sincere apology for the rude and intemperate remarks I directed to him on another thread.

[I thank the OP, Outlaw, for inadvertently providing me with an opportunity to present my coin and afford me the opportunity to reach out to a member who is otherwise inaccessible to me.]

5 hours ago, VKurtB said:

If you carefully time it, and can be at the right place, like on I-24 west of Chattanooga, you can achieve a TWO hour clock set back. I once had a backward calendar experience there on the 31st of the month. I crossed that spot just after midnight. I went from May 31, to June 1, BACK to May 31, and then back to June 1. Freaky deaky.

And I thought that was only possible in air travel while crossing the International Date Line.  Daylight Savings... no wonder the roosters started crowing later. 😂

On 11/4/2020 at 2:16 PM, CRAWTOMATIC said:

I don't recall offhand if NGC offers a Variety Research & Attribution service but for certain ANACS (another grading & certification company) does. 

Now there's a place Ratzie33 can send his phenomenal discovery to! Great scholarship!

3 hours ago, VKurtB said:

What is larceny of government property?

One day a pile of 1933 $20 DE's, is there; the next day, it's gone.  Theft, investigation, location, confiscation. Asset forfeiture.  Justice triumphs again.  Everybody is happy.

4 hours ago, VKurtB said:

Just one more example of illegal transference from a public asset by an official to her private estate.

I don't know about illegal, but membership has its privileges and this seems more like a perk or professional courtesy.

4 hours ago, VKurtB said:

Still here.

Never even disciplined by site management AT ALL. None whatsoever.

No warnings, no anything.

You enjoy the rare luxury of being universally liked, what can I say?

50 minutes ago, VKurtB said:

I ran across my old stash of Kodak Neutral Test Cards. @RWB will understand the significance of that.

Reminds me of the no carbon required (NCR) paper, or litmus paper of old.