Henri Charriere

Dremeled! Roosters! Ha! Ha! Ha! I wish my brother were around to see all this commotion. You guys are the best! All of you, and VKurtB in particular. I "stopped out" of collecting shortly after silver was taken out of coins. My knowledge (besides occasional updates like the 1870-CC dollar and 1913 matte proof cent) is circa the late 1960's. My brother continued collecting up until his death. I have no idea what happened to his vast collections of collectibles. Everything, presumably, was in storage. My mother died. My father, then 96, a descendant of the Hittites, was overseas in the land of his forefathers. A veritable treasure was lost by default (succession laws). I am [damned near] 70 now. Too old to pick up where I left off. I should be divesting myself of everything. At least that's what these auction houses bombarding me periodically seem to believe. (Remind me, please, to put that heavy, bronze? palm-sized, Chinese "cash" coin in remarkably well-preserved condition on this site for someone to ID for me. I picked it up from an old-timer in New York's Chinatown 50 years ago.) Toolbar, Dremeled & Roosters. Nice!

You're probably right. (What the heck is Dremeled? Something to do with nefarious cabal? Got me there!)

Now I have a good idea what it must look like when you whip out that heavy artillery of yours. First time I have seen a Lincoln up close like that. And this one appears to have the remnants of a diamond stud in his right ear. Lovely!

Truer words have never been spoken.

Valid observation. You're not going to sell this piece, at auction, by referring to it as just another scrawny eagle, hence the marketing blurb.

C'mon Coinbuf. Correct the typo. (He didn't mean that, RR2020.) Right, Coinbuf?

Better turn yourself in, OP. They've got the U.S. Marshals hot on your trail!

I gather as much. One thing I have noticed is there are those who can dish it out, but can't take it in return. And my posts, dripping with sarcasm, are not appreciated by those who are accustomed to jousting in the more direct, conventional, I say what I mean, and mean what I say-manner. A man comes on the forum seeking explanation and validation -- and is promptly dispatched. We should all agree to disagree, more agreeably. Or is that not in the Rules?

That's "adieu" not "ado." No axe to grind. None. (I am wary of incurring the wrath of jackhammer-wielding VKurtB.) Allow me to take this opportunity to let you know how much I appreciate your insightful commentary. This isn't about me. It's about "Could this could be a new discovery." Do come back soon!

Was it something someone said? Sorry!

In my mind, all mints are created equally, at different times. I believe the first time I saw a Philly mint mark, if I am not mistaken, was when it appeared (like your giant "ME") on the reverse side of a war nickel. Toolbar? None on this cheap knock-off import. I haven't been on a computer in years.

Coinbuf, what a pleasant surprise! Actually, I do not know except for what I have witnessed on this forum with my own lying eyes. Massive, redundant and entrenched references to the "other" forum. And all, for what, the GOP's nagging insistence he had something unique and special? Reminds me of the old manual meat grinder my mother had, as a child. There are some people who can only feel alive with gladiator-like knock-around stimulation. It is possible this op[erative] is of that species. From what I gather, it is not okay to hide behind more than one pseudonym, but decimating an "opponent" as one would an intruder?Be my guest! Huh? It seems we ought to be above that. (According to the purported after-action report, the crime scene technicians reported finding no evidence of a skirmish at the scene.) Aah: The power of a virtual beat-down even old Saddam's henchman would be envious of. We've all got bigger fish to fry. I take my leave here, and as Miss. Gov. Ross Barnett famously said to James Meredith at the door to Ole Miss, "do so, politely."

True indeed, but begs the question why wasn't this all pointed out to the violator politely, at the outset? Instead, ravenous wolves blindfolded him and paraded him around with a giant scarlet letter on his chest. As Trump would Trumpet on Twitter: UNFAIR!!!

Thanks for the perspective, Alex. My sincerest apologies to RichieRich2020 and all the contributors who logged in only to find the thread had been hijacked. I am going to step aside graciously now and allow the original Rosy with the special matte finish issue to continue. Carry on, gentlemen.

Alright, alright. Maybe all such rule violators ought to be drawn-and-quartered, or, at the very least, publically humiliated.

Mere terminological inexactitude. And my reference to troll was not directed at you but to the op[erative] denounced as such by others in prior posts. (I am neither smart nor sophisticated enough to engage in name-calling). If I wanted to engage in tomfoolery, I would refer to you as "Deep Throat," but your last name ends in "d," not "t" -- and you're probably too young to remember Watergate, the FBI, John Mitchell's fall from grace and Nixon's resignation, anyway. Two things continue to mystify me... the mad scientist VKurtB's experimentation with acid baths and, quite frankly, his magical collection of fonts from which he drew that outsized "ME"! As Tommy said to Henry Hill after throwing a pedestal ashtray at the waiter in the movie "Goodfellas": "You're supposed to be doing some of this, too." To the viewers who've enjoyed this errant thread, as Jimmy Durante once famously said, "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

Yeah, you're right. (That's got to be a Federal felony...)

Oh, for Chris'sake. DNA, Title III wiretaps, electronic surveillance, user names, passwords. No room for creativity. Once when I complained to a private mint that their check-in procedure was dictatorially coercive, they lamely responded, "We don't do that." I said, Yes, you do! "User and/or Password must be 12 to 16 characters long, must have at least one upper-case letter, must use a number, must use special punctuation, i.e. *&$!,"ad infinitim, ad nauseam. (That's why people forget; too much to remember what with all the different rules.) He said setting up an account, done by an outside contractor, was out of his control. I have fond memories of being able to walk into courthouses and airports unmolested, and Social Security, without being asked (forced) to remove my footwear. I am certainly not going to get all bent out of shape over someone's use of ten different usernames over a hundred sites. You, and the community at large presumably put your two cents in; we're talking chatroom here, not a breach of sensitive National Security information. Our bosom buddy engaged in questionable behavior. Big deal. It was perfectly legal, wasn't it? Who cares. As one of our number observed: "Life and coin collecting are unfair. Get over it." Water off a duck's back. Onto the next interesting troll...

That's okay. We all use aliases. Mine is Quintus Arrius. I expect that one day, someone watching the old movie classic, Ben-Hur (1959) will suddenly exclaim: "THAT's where that rank amateur got his moniker! Lemme Google that... see, Q.A. was that tribune (Jack Hawkins) that Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) rescued from a sinking Roman galley slave ship. I thought that name sounded familiar! He's also on a set registry. No, not ancient Roman coins -- I don't know where he got the unmitigated gall to name his compilation the 'Herostratus Hoard.' Historically, that makes no sense. What does Herostratus, the guy who destroyed the second temple of Artemis in Ephesus back in the 4th- Century BC, have to do with a modern set of French gold coins?" Hmmm... We all have an innate need to preserve the characters among us. Ratzie33, his sidekick, Rizzo37, are all welcome to join the fray if they, and the community at large, have the stomach for it. With other viewers comprising the once cited 150 years of numismatic experience, encompassing all facets of buying, selling, grading -- and unclassified experimentation, every one has a shot at re-arranging the pecking order. And those who cite the site for its unparalled entertainment value, will not be disappointed. Participants are responsible: they take a deep bow in the beginning, enter the fray, and exit -- some triumphantly, some licking their wounds, others with tails firmly tucked between legs, again with a deep bow. A resident porter comes by every so often to sweep up the debris and haul away the carcasses, and that is as it should be. Water seeks its own level, I always say.

This is an incredible, er uh, assertion [I, again, am absolutely unable to contest]! I mean, if we were talking Dahlonega, I would be inclined to accept it. But Denver. DENVER? Meaning what, Philadelphia is King? (And S.F. is a mere footstool?) I, the rank amateur, never knew this. Such esoteric thoughts have never even occurred to me. One thing for sure, on this site, forum, chatroom, you VKurtB, are a mighty contender! There are comments you have posted here, in casual, off-handed manner, that reflects a deep, intimate first-hand knowledge of operations I am definitely not privy to. Insider knowledge. Stuff that only an investigative reporter can uncover stated, with steely confidence. My hat is off to you! Every time I see your byline I go, Whoa! Like in the old E.F. Hutton commercials: "When [VKurtB] talks, people listen." Remember? I have learned things from you I have never dreamt of. Again, my hat is off to you!

My sentiments, exactly!

Well, I for one am going to let the gentleman practice his religion as he sees fit.

Research, you say. Just curious... do the mining companies use cyanide to leach precious metals from the ground in open-pit operations because the alternative is markedly more expensive, or because there isn't one? (Been reading up on the mining going on in a small town in Mexico.)

Regrettably, there is nothing in my vast arsenal that can effectively counter what you have coughed up here today. To think there was once a time when collectors were chided for taking pencil erasers to coins! Acid? Where does acid fit it in on the restoration-conservation continuum?

Ha! Ha! Ha! Highly entertaining, this back-and-forth. You've "coined" a new expression I've never heard before, but to make doubly sure, somebody get me Forensics! Ha! Ha! Ha!