Henri Charriere

9 hours ago, Alex in PA. said:

Welcome to Sleepy Hollow

 

[I recall a banner headline in one of Robert Ripley's Believe It Or Not books, published in the late 1920's.  It read:

LINCOLN WAS WRONG!

The President, as quoted from his 1863 Gettysburg Address, said:

"The world will note nor long remember what we say here...."

Notably, his words, on that solemn occasion were long remembered and never forgotten -- 150 years later.

As far as can be determined by psycholinguists, and the like, who engage in analyzing blocking, censorship, disfellowshipping, defiling, destroying, detonating, blotting out, "collapsing comments" -- and not content to simply "ignore" but threaten to do so, and childishly make public pronouncements proclaiming their impotence are, in the word of today's chief executive officer of the United States, "losers," incapable of engaging those they mistakenly believe to be superior to them in some way.

To quote the late, great Jerry Rubin, one of the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial defendants, "The motto of my school was, 'Rise to the Highest.'   I got myself a federal indictment.  How much higher can you go?"  I defy anyone to prove to me they have been X'd out by more than 37 members!

So, numismatically speaking, how does one nip being "ignored" in the bud?  Simple.  You scroll through comments and arbitrarily pick one of the thirty-seven people you know has not ignored you and has demonstrated the mettle needed to engage you with civility and maturity.]  I was accorded the top honor (by those who continue to agonize over a decision which unbeknownst to them continues to give me unfettered access to the best of the best with nary a care in the world on my part) -- and truth be told, they find that intolerable.

Happy collecting, collectors!

1 hour ago, VKurtB said:

Yep, this hobby is loaded to the gills with highly unethical characters. Actually, lots are real criminals. Now knowing it is a fake, he is one. A criminal.

I am delighted to hear the buyer was able to get a refund.  I am, however, a little hesitant about throwing the term criminal around, after all, nothing was proven.  The seller very likely told the buyer if he was unsatisfied for any reason, he was free to send it back. Due to my own disinclination to exercise rudimentary due diligence, I am now the unfortunate owner of an item I was led to believe was the earliest ticket sold for the new subway whose inaugural run took place in 1904. It did not occur to me that elevated trains had been running since the 1870's and the subway lines built since were all privately owned. I do not have it in me to pass my error to others -- even alleged trolls have values -- so my only option is to offer it for Exhibit in New York's Tramsit Museum. Willie Sutton was an accomplished professional bank-man. The illiterate demand note-passers you have today are inept drug addicts who give criminals a bad name.  I am glad there was a happy ending to this story. All things considered, I have been extraordinarily cautious -- and lucky, using eBay.

[Aside:  With all due respect to Prof. HILL, I would certainly like to know why the single most recognized numismatic expert who can rightfully claim, legally or otherwise, to have subjected or visited upon coins unspeakable horrors others are reluctant to even hint at -- in the interests of an advancement of knowldge, has yet to render a diagnosis as to what happened to these coins which have apparently lain around, unmolested and out of circulation for at least the past sixty years, or more.]

On 9/23/2013 at 2:58 PM, wheat'swheats said:

Now we copper collectors have a place to go. All copper is welcome

Relying heavily on my negative-three Intelligence Quotient, which has been documented frequently and reliably by numerous accredited authorities, I feel confident in making the following outrageous assertion universally ridiculed by the experts:  the reign of the Classic copper cent lasted only a half-century when a pair of wheat ears was substituted for a pile of stone. Any penny minted before the advent of the Lincoln cent is exempt from this condemnation for obvious reasons: with few exceptions they were made using real copper which produced an unmistakable authentic ring when dropped or spun on a smooth surface unlike the copper-colored mascara applied to the pseudo pennies of the past sixty years.

10 hours ago, zadok said:

...kilt wearers might take exception to the one leg at a time comparison...skirt wearers as well...

 

And what about old dinosaurs like me who sit on a bed, raise both legs simultaneously, whilst pulling both through a pair of trousers? [Nothing personal, zadok.  It's just that all the other participants on this thread conspired (publicly, of course) to block me in one well-coordinated attack.]

25 minutes ago, Alex in PA. said:

Try some backgrounds without numerals or other items.  Maybe?

Well, let's see... those who are not of the Caucasian persuasion will take offense at the mere suggestion of blacking out a background some have described as the "rambling nonsense" I have produced on occasion and, without knowing which thirty-seven have adopted the religious doctrine, "Thou shalt ignore those who have incited you to mutter incoherently under your breath," it will be impossible to determine with a degree of scientific certainty who among those with an aggregate 150-plus years of professional numismatic experience you may have inexplicably gotten to agree with you.  Anybody in the market for gaudy psychedelic slabs?

On 9/19/2020 at 10:03 PM, MarkFeld said:

 “I think it would be improper to use any label in a registry for a coin that’s no longer in the holder the label was in.”

As a sometime Troll and unapologetical rank amateur, I find the very fact such an unseemly matter requires discussion. Remember Joseph N. Welch's query: "Have you no decency, sir, at long last?" Numismatics ought to be above such goings-on.

My dear Prof. Hill:  If I may be so bold as to ask, Was this coin returned to you and, if so, what was the explanation provided by the gentlemen who graded or refused to grade it, which acompanied its return?  The only Good News here is it is a common date with a  common grade.  I have an identical coin with lovely toning (minus the scar left by inguinal hernia surgery) which I estimate to be worth thirty-seven cents, exclusive of the money clip it was unceremoniously glued to.

Reply deleted due to a pronounced lack of surgical precision members frequenting this site have grown used to and become accustomed to.

Postscript...  I wonder what those guys who ferociously debated the pros and cons of incandecence vs. fluorescents have to say about this right about now?  One thing you can say about coin collecting, if you have the colossal nerve to hint at something totally unscientific like mere "personal preference" you will be accorded high billing on someone's ignore list.  They won't "block" you, they will simply pretend you never existed citing obscure historical Pharoahs, pylons and obelisks. Never mind Herostratus, a name that lives on in infamy was similarly stricken by official decree, enjoys a position on a Top Ten Set Registry as maintained by no less a recognized authority than NGC.

2 hours ago, DuncanWylieWilson said:

Believe it or not, but I’m using a generic X1600 Chinese digital magnifier. Come in all shapes and sizes, but all much alike! If you’re in the UK it will cost you £14.99 and if you’re in the US it will cost you close to £20.

UK Digital Magnifier: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333695349188

US Digital Magnifier: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1600X-Digital-Zoom-Microscope-USB-Handheld-Desktop-Magnifier-8-LED-with-Stand-Y/353160835649?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item523a06b241:g:-WIAAOSwnelfV3Lk

This digital magnifier has eight built-in LED lights to illuminate the surface for easy of analysis. Intensity of the light can be easily changed via a wheel on the cable. You download a very simple software following the instructions provided in the box and it enables you to record and take HD pictures of your magnifications. Fantastic tool at a fantastic price.

[To think I, a rank amateur with an antique 30-power loupe was castigated and virtually disemboweled by a highly-respected, universally admired, regular contributor and a seasoned veteran to this Forum who glosses over the use of -- get a load of this! -- a generic X-1600 Chinese digital magnifier with eight built-in lights.  

Will wonders never cease?

4 hours ago, RWB said:

Think of all the coin slabs sealed while the virus has been circulating. Crack them open and a new wave starts at coin shows and club crack-out feasts.

[Unfortunately,  there is nothing I can use effectively in my vast arsenal bolstered by a grade-school education to counter what you've alleged.  COVID-19, and its 18 milder predecessors poses no risk to the population.  The tried and true approach, wearing masks and practicing six-eet, "anti-social" distancing, will be an effective enough deterrent until 12:01 am, Friday, January 1, 2021. Any suggestion the virus lurks within hermetically-sealed slabs is unadulterated nonsense. (None of the foregoing should be construed as my having less than the utmost respect and admiration for our much esteemed, learned members.)]

34 minutes ago, Quintus Arrius said:

[Much obliged; let the record reflect Idhair spoke to me directly inadvertently reducing the number of my official "ignores" to thirty-nine.  (Now I have to photo-shop a seated dime.)]

6 hours ago, ldhair said:

You are welcome to post any Seated Dimes you have. 

[Much obliged; let the record reflect Idhair spoke to me directly inadvertently reducing the number of my official "ignores" to thirty-nine.  (Now I have to photo-shop a seated dime.)]

On 9/17/2020 at 1:56 PM, Zebo said:

I have a gold crown that has lasted over 45 years, I have a ceramic crown - which I had to have replaced three times for the past six years. Tell me which one is better. 

Both are infinitely better than the stainless steel one my wife had had in her mouth which, my dentist in practice for 43 years, had never seen before.

On 3/3/2020 at 8:00 PM, kbbpll said:

Well, in my radical and uninformed naive view, the bubble started in 1983 when people began dumping trillions of dollars worth of 401k money into the market. These millions of people would never have gotten "into the market" otherwise. Look at the DOW 100 year chart and see what happened. Of course, that has nothing to do with coins, and maybe only a little to do with coronavirus, in that the latter might be the catalyst, but I still think this current panic is short-lived.

That's all well and good but enquiring minds still want to know where the "nefarious cabal" you once spoke of fits into all of this.  (Or would expecting you to cancel the ignore feature to provide an answer prove to be too embarrassing in front of all your influential friends?) 😉

12 hours ago, bsshog40 said:

The one I bought is in the first pic. It has a slight movement in it when you adjust focusing. The second is the one I wanted to buy as it is supposedly and upgraded model and sturdier. Wife gave me an ebay gift card and ebay didn't sell the upgraded model, it was only on amazon. Lol  But I do like this. The movement doesn't really effect anything so I can take pics pretty good with it. Less than $100. The brand is Opti-Tekscope. Opti-Tek 

 

Btw, the full coin pics were taken with it also. 

 

 

What kind of lighting works best with it, internal, or external incandescent or fluorescent?  Enquiring minds would like to know.

12 hours ago, kenlee47 said:

I have yet to pull trigger for some this time, I keep getting outbid. 

[On matters regarding seated dimes, you're got to stand up to be counted.]

1 hour ago, RWB said:

Does MTA have a fin problem, too?

No, primarily because the fare has been $2.75 for some time, the so-called  "token booths" no longer accept coins or tokens any longer. They are accepting credit and debit cards via vending machines and are moving toward "tap-and-go" payment. Bus drivers have not made change for passengers in years. Tickets are paid for using credit/debit cards at Street kiosks.  (MetroCards were introduced nearly thirty years ago.)

22 minutes ago, Coinbuf said:

Great idea just not enough people to participate.

[Actually, there are but they have giant "I"s carved into their foreheads (for IGNORE) have been denounced as congenital Trolls (with a capital "T") and worst of all, hail from San Francisco and New York City.]

On 9/17/2020 at 1:23 PM, VKurtB said:

Kopeck - the sound made when one of those huge copper 5 or 10 Kopeck coins gets slid into a sock and impacts the human noggin.

[Well, so much for the story that it was a lock in a sock and not kopecks that did Whitey Bulger in at the Hazelton federal pen.]

[This time next year, to my colleague's eternal amusement, I am going to take a shot with, "Why Coin Collecting is Great in Ms."  If there is anything worth finding, I will ferret it out the same way those American Pickers do.  And if VKurtB is scrounging around in Neshoba County, no problem, I will outbid him.  I might even bring a few hitherto unknown tokens for Just Bob to pore through, just for drill, for his unique collection.]

Coming from a city (New York) where fare collection, wearing masks -- and practicing what I refer to as "anti-social" distancing, is a curious phenomenon, I am not much of a complainer, but I did write a letter to the editor recently informing him, as senior citizens, my wife and I continue to purchase our monthly half-fare MetroCards whether we use the subways and buses are not but cannot continue to subside the [Transit Authority] indefinitely. I suspect they did not appreciate my suggestion to cut operating expenses beginning with 37% across-the-board salary cuts beginning with their bloated salaries.

I haven't the slightest idea what interests young people.  One thing for sure though, whatever it is, it will surely be found on a cell phone.

1 hour ago, VKurtB said:

I am about to send in several British Crowns to NGC for grading, including one I snagged at Chards of Blackpool, plus another from the Bloomsbury Coin Show. I'm fairly certain my 1951 Festival of Britain will make a PL designation.

[Chards... Blackpool...hmm.  It vaguely comes back to me why I never purchased a coin from them.  Back then, two years ago, TPGS were unknown to them and I decided then and there I lacked the desire (some apparently find attractive) to banter with those who feel their opinion is The Last Word. I am happy to hear you made out alright. Generally, I can do without the drama.]  Certified coward that I am, I no longer joust on horseback; reminiscing on keyboards suits me just fine.