Henri Charriere

With all due respect, one man's troll is another's esteemed colleague. As I recall Ratzie33, or perhaps it was RichieRich2020, dismissed all naysayers as trolls with one broad brushstroke -- which ironically did not include me. Maybe I should consider myself lucky for not being a Uighur. It's all relative. I reiterate, however, that I will never stoop so low as to block a fellow member or ignore his constitutional right to freely express a opinion. (For those interested, NGC did in fact "punish" me for that off-hand remark of secretly inviting me to become a chat room monitor. Learning the limits of tolerance is an on-going process.)

My dear Prof. HILL: Some peoples' attention spans are short; they prefer eating to dining. I for one am not about to expound upon the utility of the Socratic method, however known to you, and urge you to dissertate on coins, or any related topic you wish, at will. I have found every matter you have presented to be interesting and the answers elicited to be of the utmost importance. Sincerely, Quintus Arrius Postscript: I was graduated early from both high school and college when registrars reviewing my transcripts discovered I had more than enough credits to graduate.

I've taken the liberty of reviewing your previous comments on a number of other threads and what I see is relevance spoken with reverence. I understand your desire for uniformity but I wonder if you've ever heard of the following something I have been contemplating doing for some time: I would like to mothball, decommission, or have my #1 set Registry of French 20-franc gold roosters retired for no other reason than to cede the top spot to the 2d place holder whose collection at PCGS I regard as superior to my own made at great personal sacrifice and expense down to using my own Blitzkrieg approach of hoarding the finest pieces quietly and registering them assembly-line fashion, one right after the other with unnecessary additional personal expense tlbeing the only realistic impediment ti onsideration. I seriously doubt you ever heard anything like that.

A very lovely high-grade collection from a beautiful people (I live only blocks from "Little Mexico" in uptown Manhattan, NYC) and a country with a rich history. Happy collecting!

You, sir, are a living treasure and a prized asset to the Forum.

THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES! Oh no, he di-int! Oh yes, I did. What's going on here? I can clearly see what's missing, but what am I missing? You paid money -- dollars, for this? For what? You got beat! Now that you have it, what have you got? A grease what? Strike-through? Sounds just like a used car dealer touting his pre-owned Edsel. What are you going to do with it? Frankly, I would rather as President of the United States be told to shut up on national TV before a live audience of millions than be hoodwinked into believing that that coin is Very Good and not some hideous, totally worthless, genetic mutation. (I can't stand all this newfangled "almost pregnant" nonsense. It does not have a grade. It is not deserving of a grade. It's a Devil's Island relegation (accent aigu over 2d "e"). Do me a favor Big Nub and give me the name and address of a trusted friend I can send five dollars to and when you have the fin in hand, take it, make a wish if you like, and throw it into a public fountain or a Salvation Army bell-ringer's bucket. You will be doing everybody a big favor (and I'll be able to sleep better at nite knowing this world hasn't gone completely crazy). Greased strike-thru... Man are you lucky I'm in a good mood. 😉

No sir, I cannot. What I meant to convey, apparently poorly, was the importance of the context of the times as well-documented in period photographs taken, e.g., in one of the greatest cities in the world. The telephone was a luxury. There was no motor transport, no airplanes, just horse-drawn coaches and steam-powered boats and trains. A blizzard could cripple all transportation and hinder communication. I am afraid I know nothing of the Chapmans or the locality from which they conducted their business. (There are folks reading this who do not know what "cc" or "bcc" stand for, much less some of the more common legal abbreviations.) I consider the research you do and the courtesy you extend to others in sharing it, to be the ultimate kindness you can bestow on generations to follow.

Sorry to have to see your delusion disintegrate in so spectacular a fashion, but the initial purchase price + the cost of athentication/grading/certification + two-way postage and insurance + registration and whatever else was involved in your coin identification and spending spree makes you nlt a fan, but a no-holds-barred, super high-grade certified connossieur of your -- don't talk about it; be about it-- top tier, super high-grade Mexican coins. I personally like your now or never approach.

FANTASTIC NEWS! I finally RECOGNIZED, relented, and accepted the homeless, alcoholic quadriplegic in a wheelchair permanently ensconced at my local subway stop for what he is and will always be and gave him all the change I had. I even went so far -- -- what's that? Wrong thread? Oh. Okay. How about I ignored every one of the thousands of people I rode with on the buses and subways today? What? No accolades? Lovely thread. Very positive...

The "bargain box" seemed to become a regular feature in coin shops at a time (mid-1960s) when silver in circulation began disappearing and the public began "redeeming" them for pennies above face -- and also brought odds and ends in shopkeepers would not have the time, knowledge or inclination to study further, particularly foreign coins from obscure places. I cannot say I found anything to match your find but was able to bring a few type collections closer to completion with just the key dates left to work on. Those were the days!

["Die marriage" is a new one on me. The Oxford Dictionary (of humorous quotations) says, Marriage isn't a word...it's a sentence!" Your interests evidently extend up into the rarefied strata of numismatics. I wish you the best of luck!]

The Constitution? I love everything about it: the old-time copper, the 28? astericks, the superb "dental" work (no missing or damaged teeth) the wind-blown sails (all the names of which I once knew from my childhood visits to the old salts and the sailing ships at the South Street seaport and last, but not least, those hefty fonts you just don't find on new coins anymore. Good year and a great piece! [Aside: a ref: LONGITUDE: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. By Dava Sobel (1995) Briefly, the seafaring tragedy that prompted an inquiry into determining one's nautical position while crossing the North Atlantic in the era before GPS.]

Never seen one of these before; never even knew they existed. That's what happens when you're raised on Red Books. Great find; very well preserved, too!

Great pieces! I never did go south of Jackson where Mendenhall is but did manage to catch a ride with a local in an old Ford pick-up from the 1940's who took me north to Vaughan near where Casey Jones the legendary locomotive engineer met his demise in 1900 or so. You've got quite a collection of really interesting tokens. Thanks for sharing!

A few observations, strictly as an observer and not a dealer, if I may. I believe the tone of the letter, unusually abrasive where it ought to have been more solicitous, is the most noticeable aspect. Other important considerations are the date: less than a year following the Blizzard of 1888 (New York City) and the photographs taken then depicting the primitive state of the roads, forms of transportation and communication all of which must be taken into consideration. (I truly regret not appreciating the significance of stacks of Civil War-era Harper's Weekly newspapers which could be had for a pittance back in the 1960's.)

Your collective losses are exponentially higher! Sorry, I am not a doctor. I cannot help you. Parting shot: "A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies." 😉

Great example! I've always loved these two-cent pieces. Look at that artistry! Look at the flourish on that 2 and the letters with definition! (No comparison with the generic, computer-generated fonts of today.) Thanks for sharing. First time I have ever been able to see one of these up close in over 50 years.

Your collective losses. The population of the U.S. is 3.3 million; that of the world: 7.7 billion. I have not, and will not, ever block anyone.

"The mistake of reading." A priceless gem if ever there was one right on up there with a former president's "I am not a crook." And I am well aware you haven't been around because you missed the donnybrook that quickly descended into fisticuffs with slurs being slung around prompting our colleague, Alex from PA., to literally beg the moderators to extinguish the distinguished venerable VKurtB's explosive thread which began so evenly with an ode to a federal judge, so touching it inspired him to declare he had never been prouder of being a Pennsylvanian. A thread is not unlike a newspaper, cellphone or television set. You can turn the page, scroll on, or switch channels. For the "mistake of reading" jewel I am going to grant you a lifetime exemption from review. Now, go and check out VKurtB's thread on Pennsylvania and the pandemic before the higher-ups expunge it. No hard feelings, buddy!

His stand-alone comment, and I quote him directly, was: "Glad I have him blocked!" Now if you''ve chosen to participate in a childish game of hide-and-seek and cannot refrain from peeking, you're automatically disqualified. Riding the coattails of another member and rudely interjecting with a baseless comment regarding a conversation you are not privy to is not even eavesdropping. It's bad manners bordering on moral turpitude of the type that would jettison any hope you may have ever had of passing a Senate confirmation hearing. I don't know what's worse, engaging in pseudo-fraud (claiming under oath you have blocked someone you haven't) or having another equally clueless member cite a footnote made without attribution constitutes a "very useful contribution," -- an argument likely made by counsel to Lori Loughlin to get her daughters into college. As to the charge of abusing my thesaurus, you are confusing me with Joe Exotic. I have treated every animal whose care, custody and control I have ever been entrusted with, with the unconditional love and attention it deserves. This includes a stegosaurus, tyrannasaurus -- and Dino, our colleague VKurtB's prized brontosaurus, when he was obliged to attend to matters requiring his attention at the Royal Mint. Case dismissed on the merits. SO ORDERED. /S/ Q.A. 09.29.2020

Absolutely the finest Lincoln I have ever laid eyes on and if God made anything finer he must have kept it for himself!

Well, well, well. If it ain't the "nefarious 'leave me out of this' cabal" crybaby conspiracist! I applaud you for confirming you continue to follow me however embarrassing that must be to admit in front of the entire NGC numismatic community. What part of the pi-guy's admonition, "Do Not Feed the Trolls!" don't you understand? [My position on mint mark over-strikes in a nutshell: only the ones on Wartime silver nickels, 1942-1945, count. Period.]

Here, sheer folly is exposed in all its wondrous splendor. RWB, a real live human being deserving of our utmost respect as a man of letters, sullies his good name by addressing an arbitrary alter-ego much like a chrysalis that has undergone a metamorphosis only to emerge as an unidentifiable papillon. Common courtesy requires I respond and do so politely with deference. No problem, that is, until an uninvited interloper shows up on my cyberdoorstep, unannounced, and having no inkling what prompted the exchange with RWB to begin with, blindly lobs a shot over a dead-heading, Liberian-flagged freighter (for all he knows) solely on the strength of another entity's universally accepted integrity. The very act of ignoring in the absence of knowledge is the epitome of "ignorance" (which I have taken the liberty of substituting for the "barnyard epithet" I would have preferred using which proper breeding suggests would be in poor taste in RWB's august presence). Postscript: if a recent exchange of missives between bsshog40 and a few titans of the industry is any indication, his gleeful proclamation that he has blocked QA served only to enhance -- not diminish -- the latter's reputation, immeasurably. My heartfelt thanks to all parties -- including the Moderators, for a rollicking good time!

[To my many detractors who regard me as an ignorant, itinerant troll, one to be dismissed rather than reckoned with, I present the following transient thought on what I deem to be highly over-rated over-strikes (with one notable exception) sure to leave my unexceptional reputation intact.] It seems coin collecting, as a hobby, has moved its base of operations to the surgical suites and intensive care units from the brick-and-mortars of yesteryear. If you crash your car, you can expect a hefty repair bill regardless who is at fault. If a surgeon leaves a foreign object inside your body, you can sue him for malpractice. When I accompanied my wife to a dentist, we both had to sign legal instruments presumably backed by the force of law leaving his practice entirely blameless should either of us inadvertently contract COVID-19. Not so numismatics. If a penny, nickel, dime or quarter is damaged or altered in the most insignificant of ways, there is zero likelihood of a lawsuit for malpractice. Instead, we congratulate (criticize or even mock) the owner, depending on the coroner's report. FINAL COMMENT: ONLY AN OVERSTRIKE ON A WARTIME NICKEL SHOULD BE VALUED FOR THE STRIKING IMAGE IT PRESENTS. Everything else is just white noise, IMNSHO. Postscript: Instead of making defamatory, and clearly discriminatory admonitions like "don't feed the trolls," how about we all resolve this day going forward to stop patronizing purposeful mistake manufacturers masquerading under the quasi-legal catch-all term "errors?"

[Letter of President Theodore Roosevelt to Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw, Dec. 27, 1904] White House, Washington "My dear Secretary Shaw: I think our coinage is artistically of atrocious hideousness. (emphasis mine) Would it be possible, without asking the permission of Congress, to employ a man like St. Gaudens to give us a coinage that would have some beauty? Sincerely yours, Theodore Roosevelt" (ref: RWB, in Jan. 9, 2012 issue of Coin World, and book under discussion in this thread by Goldfinger1969)