Henri Charriere

[With all due respect to Prof. VKurtB -- and @ erwindoc, the member who began this unassuming thread, I offer the following. I am not sure where it fits in, but here goes]: "In the United States today (1970) we have more than our share of nattering nabobs of negativism. They have formed their own 4-H club -- the hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history." --V P Spiro Agnew (via William Safire)

[Not old Quintus, wisenheimer emeritus! I still remember it as an acronym, standing for: Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Anybody remember these Radio broadcasting cousins, once removed: AM - amplitude modulation; FM - frequency modulation And who can forget the W in WABC and WNBC, stand for "Wireless." No sir-ee Bob, that anti-intellectual tag being bandied about does not apply to this transient.]

[All this anti-intellectualist stuff, notwithstanding, the best line to come out of the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial (late 1960's) was: "Conspiracy? What conspiracy? We couldn't even agree on lunch!"]

One more reason why I love old coins. Look at the strength and definition of those fonts! The computer-generated devices on today's coins look weak and malnourished in comparison. Nice catch, Alex!

Very nice buff', 'buf!

However expropriated, whether by hook or crook, would the OP, author, or any other viewer, care to speculate as to the possible motive behind effecting a transfer of goods Izzy Switt (or co-conspirator or confederate) knew, or should have known, he could not profit from, personally, in the ordinary sense of the word?

Why do I feel the shipping and handling on the trebuchet you seek will exceed its actual cost...

The 1909-S V.D.B. also happened to be the very first coin I bought in 1967, or thereabouts, from Stack's, in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, with exceptional eye appeal and original mint lustre, for the then princely sum of $200. (My salary as a part-time delivery boy was $1.25/hr. + tips.) This is why your story struck a chord within me. Now I'm going to have to come up with a solution... One final note... though I have not seen this mentioned elsewhere, I suspect some incidences of counterfeit scams are attempts on the part of unwitting victims to palm their losses off onto unsuspecting buyers in a misguided attempt to recover their losses, much like passing a bill one knows to be counterfeit which would otherwise be confiscated and forwarded to the USSS DHS (though this practice on the part of shopkeepers and the government is no longer assiduously followed.) This does not excuse the conduct. I note it here as another motivational factor to consider.

I am dissatisfied with the responses evoked by Joshua22855's query. This is not the secret life of Walter Mitty we're talking about here. What's been suggested amounts to little more than putting a scammer on a Do Not Call Registry -- knowing full well the name, number and address will be changed, and the egregious conduct will continue, unabated. I characterize the responses for what they really are: nothing more than an ineffective feel-good measure that seemingly "addresses" the matter, while doing nothing to eradicate it. "So what do you suggest?" Ideally, I like the approach exemplified by the police dispatcher in the 1980 film: "The use of unnecessary violence in the apprehension of the "Blues Brothers," has been approved." Unfortunately, that is not an option. Second up, John Walsh -- or Dr. Phil, who promises to hunt scammers down, smoke them out, expose them publicly to embarrassment, accountability, and worse. Spraying cockroaches and cajoling them to move along is too passive. I don't knock lists, but something stronger than a band-aid approach is called for. I do not like to criticize without offering a solution but let's not pretend calling 311 to report a no heat, no hot water-problem is going to resolve the complaint. (Note: I will try to come up with a suitable alternative; in the meantime, my wife is waiting very patiently for me to return her phone.)

[At the risk of getting yet another PM from an incredulous viewer demanding to know if I have any idea to whom I am directing my scattershot to, allow me to phrase my response cautiously...] In all fairness to you, sir, anything worth saving from circulation by 1975, was long gone. I hesitate to ask just what it was that prompted you to develop an interest potent enough to inspire your user name if not everyday circulating coins. (I do not believe I have ever met, or know, anyone who has made a similar claim.)

For the record, I became disenchanted with "the hobby," not long after JFK's body lay in a catafalque. I now accept that one cannot rescue anything beyond resuscitation. If embrace the "change" means embrace the "clad," sorry, I'm not buying. (Time to get back to work. Now, where's my slide ruler, protractor and No. 2 leads...?)

[I cannot, sir, I cannot. Bad enough you risk ostracism and marginalization for simply acknowledging my comment. Besides, VkurtB is surely watching. And I do not want to overstay my welcome on 1917's thread.]

[I would like to ask, but the very nature of my proposed inquiry would reflect very poorly on me.]

[Heat kills the virus; hurricanes blow the dead carcasses away.]

[This thread is immeasurably better without me. Carry on, gentlemen.]

Re: regraded/upgraded... The scenario I see is an example once pegged as the finest ever known, i.e., until a finer one emerges requiring reassessment of the established pecking order.

You're a discriminating collector with good taste. While I have purchased plus grades, I wait now for a whole grade to become available to save me the trouble of upgrading. I have never owned a * but would, if it were warranted.

(It is most regrettable you chose to position your coin on a surface marked, "Box Made in China.")

Okay, and the ZIPPO... where does it fit in the scheme of things?

(Comment deleted.]

It seems to me one way the U.S. Mint can increase collector interest is by dispensing with its line of "seemingly endless numismatic mediocrity." Then again, what percentage of the U.S. population (333 million) has numismatic inclinations? Anybody remember the 1984 square quarter [which I only just now discovered has since been slabbed]? That's what I think I am going to do. Make my own coins and currency. Ars longa, vita brevis!

Re-check those two sections to see if there is a N/A choice at the bottom of each (because you participate in both top registries).

In all fairness, I plead guilty, with an explanation. By the time I discovered there were Set Registries, I was already in deep and chose to continue with the TPGS I had the most slabs from. Instead of buying duplicates, I cross the coins left behind from upgrading. Only a narcissistic fanatic would assemble dual collections.

Early voting results indicate Zebo, Fenntucky Mike, Coinbuf + QA all share something in common: Build one of the best collections. I salute you all, gentlemen!

I would like posterity to note that with no votes recorded at, or about 5 p.m. today, 09/11/2020, I Quintus Arrius, stumbled accidentally onto Zebo's poll, and cast the first vote (pending certification).