Henri Charriere

16 hours ago, Etreiw said:

er copper ones?  They all look the same to me,  the only thing I know is copper is indeed a valued material.  From what year to year? I got 3/4 full icecream pail of pennies aka deadweight.

 

I think it fair to say any Canadian one-cent piece minted up to and including the 12-sided ones in 1986 are worth saving.  The cent reverted to round form thereafter with the ones minted from 1997 through 1999 made from zinc, with a thin copper coating, and the ones minted from 2000 to 2012, when production of the penny ceased predominantly made from steel, with a thin copper coating.  Each coin's ping when dropped on a countertop or other suitable safe hard-top surface should emit a different sound.  I am assuming we are talking about comparatively new coinage and not the older types prior to 1938 which would have a numismatic value beyond their metal content.

On 10/17/2020 at 11:47 PM, Cat Bath said:

I replaced a 66+/CAC with a 65 non-CAC in my registry set ATS.

I'm happy with my decision.

Grading there has jumped the shark. (I couldn't even get a + on my 65 after two re-cons and it is better than 1/2 of the 67's I see)

It's bizzaro-world there...I give up.

You would think grading Mint State coins is a fairly straight-forward process but what I have found, with no anecdotal evidence to back up my claim, is if you are a collector of French 20-franc gold roosters, 1899-1914, you can expect to get a more accurate overall certification from the PCGS based in France than the one based in the United States (California) for what I would suggest is an obvious reason:  they deal with them on a daily basis whereas most collectors and dealers likely have no experience with them or have encountered them on a very limited basis.  It makes sense to me but most would argue this is not the way it should be.

[Does any of this mean I owe seasoned veteran MarkFeld an apology for my ill-tempered and unwarranted denunciation of a coin and series I know nothing about?  Yes, it does.]

The other thirty-six who have relegated me to the ignore chamber pot will just have to wait patiently in line.

10 minutes ago, GoldFinger1969 said:

FYI, you can delete the graphs if you just wanted to respond to my text.  Just makes the thread easier to follow if big klunky graphs aren't recreated and quoted.

I don't know who put the data together but it's a simple chart with 3 data points with no timing or data bias.

I detect a couple of trends from the chart, which aren't 100% hard-and-fast but generally apply (maybe with a lag):

• Premiums jump in anticipation of a rise in gold prices and/or Saints (late-1990's, 2008-11)
• If the gold price rise stalls....then the price of Saints flatlines (obviously) and the premium tends to fall much much harder and faster.
• You have a 3rd Derivative of volatility at work:  gold is a volatile commodity.....Saints trade on gold plus the numismatic premium....and the premium can rise or fall faster than both.
• Premiums are sticky to the downside (folks want to believe gold will rise again and/or buyers/dealers in Saints don't want to lose $$$).

Thanks for the clarification.  We live in volatile times with a great deal of uncertainty.  I forsee a correction for profit-taking, already in progress... with a bull market to follow.  But we've both heard talk like that for years.

9 minutes ago, Raybo55 said:

I have no idea the last time I was here, and I really have no idea the last time that I heard that someone liked 2 Cent Pieces.

 

You're probably right.  A few years back the $1,000,000 question (the answer to which the contestant, I believe, did not know) on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," then moderated by Regis Philbin was: What was the first U.S. coin that bore the legend IN GOD WE TRUST?  Your two-cent pieces are the finest examples I have ever seen up close. Great stuff!

1 hour ago, MAULEMALL said:

I would love to comment but why dissuade those who have not heard from me for awhile from believing I remain anything but unapologetically unrepentant?

4 hours ago, Etreiw said:

 I grew up using Canadian pennies, I will not throw out my childhood memories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep the copper ones; feel free to dispense with the rest.

1 hour ago, GoldFinger1969 said:

Saint-Gaudens Premiums vs. Gold Price:  I thought I had posted this in this thread, but I guess not.

 

The watermark on the charts suggest reliance on an authority I am unacquainted with but -- no offense intended -- the information it imparts is nebulous.  What those interested in these artifacts want to know is a lot simpler: What was the price of gold in just the past hundred years?  And what was the corresponding value of Double Eagles at each interval in MS-63 condition.  We all know an number of variables skew the results.

On 10/8/2020 at 3:42 PM, ProfHaroldHill said:

And I haven't even posted pix yet of the 'third side' of the coin! (Corn WILL be popped!)

We bad.

[I believe your 1937 Buffalo nickel comes closest to sides featuring both mesas and plateaus -- and we haven't even seen the third side yet.]

On 10/8/2020 at 4:06 PM, VKurtB said:

That’s a few sentences more than I’d ever expect from any TPGS. ATS seems categorically incapable of providing more that a two digit number starting with a 9. At least with our hosts you get an English word or two. Often misspelled, such as “piefort” instead of “piedfort”, but still a word.

I’ve chalked it up to hiring millennials, to whom “speling is jus a thoery”. “Quality control” indeed. Don’t make me laugh.

Whatever else anyone may be inclined to say about you, you sure know your French (piedfort) and as far as a departure from acceptable (standard) English spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc., I knew all was lost when a paper of record noted penmanship was no longer being taught in public schools.  It goes without saying slang, Twitter and social media hastened its demise.  That reality TV series, Growing up Gotti, featuring the incomprehensible conversations of John Gotti's sons was the death knell of spoken English when series consultants suggested English sub-titling would be needed to help viewers understand the gutter English that was bring spoken.  There had never been a more embarrassing display of illiteracy before or since.

1 hour ago, Alex in PA. said:

Just for you Quintus:  Here's one I bought today at a cost I will not say.  I do so love that Rebel Gold.

 

With Lincoln on the campaign trail and rumors of a Civil War running rife, government men were busy pounding out these gorgeous, well-struck gems. Nice catch, Alex!

[I feel a whole lot better knowing I am being ignored by an insignificant number of people who belong to a hobby that cannot fill a third of the subway trains running during the morning and evening rush on any given weekday.]

On 10/7/2020 at 3:12 PM, brg5658 said:

I'm starting to understand why some of these posters were banned ATS and at CoinTalk - my ignore list just keeps getting larger and larger.  

 

Take it easy there, BRG5658.  You should do what I do. Heretofore, the secret of my success...

First, never give in. Do not stoop so low as to ignore anyone. You are always free to turn the page or risk suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, as one member did, or develop an aortal aneurism -- now complicated by atrial fibrillation requiring "a procedure" my cardiologist has informed me is "inevitable" if left uncorrected.

What I, and a few others, apparently, do is sit back quietly and watch. When I am in a good mood, I drop by to see what new offerings Just Bob, possibly the nicest member, has introduced on his Token Tuesday thread, and compliment him appropriately.  (I was thrilled when he responded to me personally one, and only one, time.)  There are others who dislike me intensely, and I shower effusive praise on them unreservedly.  They know who they are.  I kill 'em with kindness.

VKurtB posed a special problem.  He would pay out just enough rope for me to hang myself -- and pounce.  I admired his technique so much that I try not to get him all riled up out of concern for his health.

There is one member who has blocked me and if I am capable of admitting I was wrong, and undeservedly rude, I would apologize to him publicly, but do not know how -- whether he accepts my sincere apology or not.  I will be drafting a note to him shortly at an address my innate nosyness found with the help of Ms. Google's niece.

You have been around a long time and have held your ground magnificently. It would be a shame to tamper with the rules of engagement.  Is there really anyone on this site "better" than you are? Maybe different, but not better.  Stick around.  You're doing just fine!

No offense to you, Matt G, but we who loiter on the chat room threads are expressly forbidden from discussing "political" material.  I should also like to add -- entirely no fault of your own -- that the use of the word "celebrate" to describe a cold-blooded murder in a more acceptable or sanitized fashion, is most regrettable.  The coin itself is unquestionably "unique" in all respects, and I thank you for sharing it with the membership.

2 hours ago, ronnie stein said:

Back on track, I tried to ignore myself and it wouldn't work.   Software.. Still have to listen to myself singing in the shower, off key, and can't remember the words. Pitiful.

You think that's bad.  As an accredited Troll, I am beginning to feel I deserve better.  Time will tell...

Well, like my uncle VKurtB, once said (or was it ever-pleasant, Just Bob) it is demand and the price a buyer is willing to pay that determines whether a sale is in the offing.

I am reminded of this when my roosters start crowing early in the morning.  Under the influence of painkillers following major surgery, they looked marvelous.  But in the sober light of day, they're beginning to look more and more like farm animals.

On 9/27/2020 at 1:24 PM, VKurtB said:

I only collect at a minimum grade of MS66.

[I'd rather be told I was seen picking up used cigarette butts off the street -- and I'm not even a smoker.]

1 hour ago, l.cutler said:

Also I believe the first 1943 coppers were first discovered in the late 1940's.  There was a craze where everybody was searching for them. This coin would have had to circulate for several decades without being noticed to wear that much.

Good point and on point. There is no question bas-relief serial numbers can be restored on firearms and various commercially available preparations have restored totally obliterated dates on Buffalo head nickels, but any hope of realizing a princely sum for a coin which is ineligible for grading -- much less federal disaster aid, is unrealistic.  [Now, if you were to ask me who was responsible for terminating Prof. VKurtB's thread with extreme prejudice, I can offer you not just plausible speculation, but an ironclad two-part unassailably factual and credible account garnished with a name executed in fancy old-time Palmer penmanship.]

5 hours ago, Insider said:

 Then, when I posted about how I would treat criminals (I'm of Italian/Arab decent) it was too much for the "snowflake types" who think prisons should be closed, our border open to invasion, and bailing out rioters so they could riot again the next day!    

The prison population nation-wide is down sharply.  Scores of prisons have been decommissioned, mothballed and sold. 

The native Americans -- and Mexicans, which anyone remotely acquainted with U.S. history knows, were the ones who were invaded and had their lands stolen right from under them.

And the sole purpose of bail is to insure a defendant's appearance in court.

Maybe you ought to stick to what you know.

On 10/5/2020 at 1:59 PM, RWB said:

Couple of comments:

The coin does not change when moved from one brand to another. A corn flake remains a corn flake even if it's in a Cheerios box.

It's amazing how much money some put into "register sets" that does not involve the real value of the coins. This seems like a sunk cost, never to be recovered.

if it's a hobby and it makes one happy, that's all that matters.

 

[Unlike those who block you, a form of censorship I find reprehensible, the "pi-guy" goes the extra mile and importunes others to engage in the same detestable act. Obviously, something you've written has caused me to raise my antennae...]

I shall address all three as A, B, and C.

A.  If the Kreugerrand had not changed, in transit between brands, the OP would not have initiated this discussion -- and my PCGS-slabbed collection of superseded French 20-franc gold roosters would have been welcomed with open arms by the mortuary assistants of NGC in the Sunshine State.

B.  Set Registries. If the results of a survey conducted recently by a TPGS are true -- that your average buyer will spend no more than $50. on a raw coin, sight unseen, I am extraordinarily lucky and a complete insufficiently_thoughtful_person for failing to realize the term "free shipping" includes not quite seaworthy trawlers flying flags from countries I never heard of from land-locked countries.  The plus side, by comparison, is avoiding the indignity of paying top dollar for a manuscript or painting only to find out the paper or canvas is new, the frame inauthentic and the signature executed with a ball-point pen or cheap paint sold at a five-and-dime.  Why be forced to deliver a flowery soliloquy to anonymous buyers each and every time you want to sell, when with a slab all you need worry about is whether the quality of the photo you provide will dazzle a prospective buyer with original mint lustre and exceptional eye appeal.  In the United States, these costs are routinely borne by the prospective buyers. 

C.  I have been unable to upgrade my collection, rated #1 ATS, for going on one year now.  I am not happy about it.  To make matters worse, the #2 place-holder, IMHO, has a far better, more consistent set enhanced by superior photography.  His strategy mirrored mine.  He waited until he had everything he needed and submitted it over a few days in blitzkrieg fashion. Unbeknownst to him, I was awaiting three top-tier coins from California via Germany and simply wanted to render the coup de grace in one fell swoop.  I have been seriously hoping a few extraordinary gems would surface in the interim so that I could withdraw my set and allow him the privilege of basking in the glory he is most deserving of, but that has yet to happen.  Over a hundred million roosters were minted and no one knows where the known rarer examples are because they do not appear in anyone's Registry.   So, no, I am not happy.

I thank the OP for permitting me to sound off on his post.

On 10/6/2020 at 6:22 AM, Morpheus1967 said:

You've said some whacked out stuff on this forum, but this one might just take the cake.  

Not quite, but the following, available on an NGC site, is worthy of consideration. 

Several months ago, a viewer volunteered that he disliked the term, "specimen."  Here's a little of what NGC offers on the matter and I strongly advise every collector review the matter presented, in its entirety...

"SP is a catchall that is applied to a variety of finishes that are distinct from the appearance of circulation issues but do not fit any of the Proof categories.  Specimen can describe early U.S. coins with bold strikes, very brilliant fields and semi-frosted devices as well as modern U.S. coins that were produced with matte or other unusual finishes.

From its earliest days, the U.S. mint has occasionally produced coins that fall short of the definition for actual proofs yet are clearly superior to normal circulation strikes.  In past generations, such pieces were routinely described as Proofs by coin dealers and cataloguers.  Since the 1960s, these would be Proof coins have gradually become accepted under the term "Specimen" which is abbreviated SP on the NGC certification label."   

Bearing in mind I am little more than an authenticated, arguably  articulate troll, I see a few problems. Firstly, where exactly on the MS-70/PR-70/SP-70 grade continuum does the OPs Kreugerrand lie, which should universally accommodate all qualified coins regardless of country of origin?  How do NGC and PCGS explicitly define these distinctions, if there are any of note, and why would one TPGS  fail to extend what amounts to a professional courtesy to another as a gesture of good will and reciprocal recognition particularly in an instance where provenance is not in dispute?  As I am fond of saying, enquiring minds want to know.

3 hours ago, VKurtB said:

What on earth makes you think you'd get anything even remotely like a "detailed analysis" from PCGS??? I'd never expect anything of the sort. PMD, Damage, whatever, all the same. They aren't going to wax poetic over it. Is anybody else getting a familiar vibe from our OP, like the dude with the "matte 1993 dime"?

There is a significant (monumental) difference between the urgent insistence of a RichieRich2020-type bordering on hysteria and that of the cool, calm and collected approach of Prof. Hill who notably  informed readers he would get around to displaying the reverse side of the nickel featuring the bison, as one viewer requested, when he was so disposed!  How does one spell chutzpah? 😉

In the former, the owner, rendered opinions from some of the most learned authorities on the subject in the land, declined to accept their assessments; in the latter, my gut feeling as an accomplished troll who's jousted here with many of the principals involved, strongly suggests the good Prof. has the answer to the question he seeks but like a cat playing with a mouse, or mice, enjoys a game of chess with those whose minds display a full range of the specific skill sets needed to bring the chase to a fulfilling conclusion.

It's innocent inquiries such as these that inadvertently separate the contenders, i.e., the men of substance and honor, from what the author William S. Burroughs (deceased) derisively dismissed as the "set-up" man:  "I've been watching you.  You're the man I need for this set-up.  Now listen. . ." 

[The foregoing post is dedicated to the likes of "pi-guy," a/k/a physics-fan3.14 and his 36 like-minded moderator--wannabees.] 

9 hours ago, gmarguli said:

I'm not a big crossover guy in either direction. I feel that you get a better shot at a fair grade if you crack them. I've done crossovers that have failed to cross and then when cracked and submitted raw, they've upgraded. Also, I feel that PCGS is much more likely to cross a world coin than a US coin. 

 

Three things...

1). Cracking coins is an insult and the greatest indignity and lack of confidence a collector (likely a commodities investor) can subject a coin to.  It is a reflection on a [b'n'e] offender exhibiting latent criminal tendencies and not on the hobby at large;

2). No one can cite a single controlled study indicating a correlation between a raw coin given preferential treatment over an entombed one.  Reason? It does not exist.

3). Staff comprising PCGS in an European outpost cannot be compared with staffing in a USA office. The former as a matter of course deals with foreign and ancient coinage on a continuing, repetitive, daily basis.

Cracking is a form of deviant behavior so offensive, etiquette books have yet to devise a formal term for it.

Read it and weep...

Considering the coin is not even worth one cent -- and not even copper --a single drop of hydrochloric or sulphuric acid ought to do the trick.

On 9/16/2020 at 5:08 PM, tejas1836 said:

Insider asked " is the "traffic" on this forum picking up or normal?"

I would say the forum has been more active than it was several months ago.

 

Two things.  Yes, the traffic on this Forum is up. I take the credit for that by controlling my trollistic predilections.  As to poly chloride vinyl deposits, I would seek a second opinion with a practicing chemist such as our own VKurtB before submitting to the possible embarrassment of being subjected to medieval punishments as heralded on occasion by the numismatic fraternity.

On 9/12/2020 at 4:39 PM, gmarguli said:

Without knowing what the coins are, it is an impossible question. 

In all fairness, I agree.  (Even alleged trolls have standards.)