Henri Charriere

Jason, Jason, Jason... "You talkin' to me? I don't see nobody else around." Seriously. the OP posted a link to a page from Instagram in his opening post. Have you been following this thread? If you dare to tap the link you will be directed to Instagram. Is the coin featured therein the OPs? Can he take a picture of something he may not have? I dare not ask!

🐓: Pretty harsh verdict. Any mitigating circumstances, Q ? Q.A.: I am afraid not. I do, however, have a suggestion to make to all newbies: try to get into the habit of holding all coins by the edge, whether real or not. An open palm is never used to display a raw (loose) coin as moisture and oils from the skin would mar its surface. Edges Only!

YouTube, certifications, financialization of the hobby, weaponization of grades with the adoption of the Sheldon scale and... errors. As a practical matter, those of us who got our start in the 1960's, did not encounter these dilemmas. Errors were mere curiosities. I never even knew what a Proof-Like (PL) surface was until I became a member which prompted me to recall the time I went to my local bank and obtained a Morgan dollar from a teller that had much more than your original mint luster. A Jefferson nickel had a bar over the 0 in 1960. Never gave it another thought. Had I gotten a 3-legged Buffalo nickel I might have noticed it, or maybe not. The only error I recall that was newsworthy was the 1955 DDO and the so-called 1943 copper cent (universally and incorrectly called a "penny.") The only coins anyone bought were "key dates" you could not find in change and those that came in sets from the Mint. It amazes me that people still look at change, what with silver gone, but it just goes to show you how resourceful collectors are and how resilient the hobby has become. You have the right temperament for this hobby. You never know what may show up and if you hear about something that is too good to be true, it probably is. Thanks for sharing your experience.

There is. On Instagram. A bit fuzzy-wuzzy, but it's there.

@zadok : Read it and weep! @powermad5000 : Here my virtues are extolled. Elsewhere (not mentioning any names) I was likened to an S.T.D. Imagine that! As Lady Astor once said: "Manners are everything."

Very often special commemorative sets like these come with printed inserts detailing specs. Did such an insert accompany this set and, if so, what did it read? How was this set described?

Truly a sad development.

Not sure what to make of this mess. What I would like to know is who had jurisdiction? In 1922, neither the FBI nor its predecessor, the Bureau of Investigation, existed. Hoover joined the DOJ in 1924 and I believe the FBI was established in 1930, or thereabouts. Now, the Mint itself was not robbed. But seeing as how money was not insured until FDR signed the Banking Act of 1933, which authorized the FDIC, it would appear this was a matter for local law enforcement to solve. The money taken was never recovered; although the principals were identified, none were taken into custody. The use, by the Director, of the term "machine" to refer to the getaway Buick touring car, is quaint. The haul was distinctive: 40,000 five-dollar bills. Afterthought: I do not believe even assassinations of Federal officials, like the president, were Federally prosecuted until legislation was passed in 1964. If I am mistaken, feel free, anyone, to take me to task. Great job, Roger!

Not to worry, Mustache pete. My intemperate broadside was launched at the Power guy. Just making light of the good sport who strongly detests counterfeits and evidently shrinks from opening links. I am not risk-averse, so I did the footwork for him, jumped right onto the link, and found Instagram. No way I am going to join up, free or not, to view some fuzzy image of a coin.

Everything about these coins scream LEGITIMATE. I secretly hope you uncover the evidence to support my hasty conclusion.

Well, let's not go overboard. We all make mistakes. None of us are infallible. Let's just say opinions rendered here are made in good faith. There is no hidden agenda. "And the best thing... the best thing of all, is there is time. All the time I need. All the time I want... Time Enough at Last." - Burgess Meredith, Twilight Zone.

🐓: Hey Q, get a load o' dis! The same guy who said he don't want dross out there, shrinks from links! There are more links on this Forum than there are winks from the Sphinx. Q.A.: Not to worry, Power guy. I test-drove the missing link, and guess what I found: an invitation to join Instagram. Ain't happenin'. End of post.

And both are CENTS, not PENNIES. (no apostrophe needed; pennies is the plural of penny.)

... worthless... priceless... it's all the same thing.

"The simplest explanation is usually the best one."

File under Locard's principle.

Trying to fix the date of my introduction to numismatics, I am unable to say exactly when it was but it is safe to say I had a number of type sets in the familiar old blue Whitman albums before silver was withdrawn from circulation a year after JFK's death in 1963, when Marilyn Monroe died (1962) during the deadly Paret-Griffin fight/Cuban missile crises (1961) and back to the time I was in elementary school and a young girl sold me coins from her late Dad's collection, including an 1894-O dime -- for face value. I had a Red Book, looked it up, discovered it was rare, worth $25. in either Fair or Good condition, and offered her more, but she demurred. As it is against the Law -- and chat board guidelines to refer to members by name, I thought I would share with you, the discriminating collector, how impressed I am with a member here who has compiled a number of top-shelf custom sets, continues to dabble in all manner of coins in seemingly all states of preservation and still has time to devote to assist other members. It is virtually impossible to fix his area of interest or expertise. He exudes the confidence and easy geniality that comes effortlessly to him. If there were an annual award for the member who best represents the ideal hobbyist, his name would come up, hands down. Man, I love this place! 🤣

My wife and I are the Last of the Mohicans. After us, there is nothingness. We Walk the Line...

Famous emerald-eyed cat from Belarus. Inscription reads: "Here's lookin' at you, Roger!"

Too bad it's on that long list of coins NGC won't certify.

Famous emerald-eyed cat from Belarus. Inscription reads: "Here's lookin' at you, Roger!"

Close... to indicate there is no date. Same as those ASE coins from one mint that were actually minted at another. Ah, you remember! Had to do with San Francisco and West Point, I forget which.

Testing 1-2-3, testing... Are you the proud owner of this coin error? Was the dollar coin the first of this series? The OP, and the OP only: Can you tell me why the date on the label is "bracketed" with parentheses? No further questions.

On the continuum of all possible crimes that can be committed Federally, from violent crimes against the person to crimes against property, theft of this kind, on the lower end, are non-violent and white collar-ish in nature. In the absence of specific information, I would have to believe only the prosecutors representing the people in the name of the USA, the office that prepared the pre-sentence investigation (PSI) and the sentencing judge, likely know best whether justice was done. I cannot comment because I do not know.

The part about all this I don't understand is there was a time not long ago when you urged members to cast their votes and, I thought the person you had wanted to assume the post, did, and I thought all was quiet on the western front -- and now this! What happened?