Henri Charriere

I don't know about Saints but that recent announcement from the People's Bank of China re the Forbidden City gold commemorative sets has gotten me to thinking, Who can afford a 1-kilogram gold coin? Talk about deep pockets!

Hate to say it but that matte finish and the so-called "business strike" of the 2016 centennial gold mercs -- which had the undesirable (though possibly intentional effect) of muting all semblance of detail -- appear similar. Mildly disappointing, to say the least.

Fair enough. Five years? What a mensch!

Here I was, all ready to throw my two cents in having been derisively dismissed as a novice and self-proclaimed coin expert, my reputation still intact after a knock-down skirmish with the heavy hitters, when suddenly the obvious occurred to me: the coin, ultimately, is of no value and submitting it for grading makes no economic sense -- and, worse than squandering perfectly good money, would end this hot-and-bothered donnybrook with an unsatisfying lost-by-a-nose finish. I am going to wait patiently for VKurtB to chime in. Nice try RichieRich... "now go home and get your shinebox." No Sale!

Walkerfan, as DJ Khalid said in those commercials, Don't give up! Who knows, if you're young, suddenly win the lottery, and still have the fire and inclination, you can reclaim your #1 spot. Never say never, I always say, and yes, all those top tier collections are lovely. (The only Walker I have is a 37-S in VF condition I've held onto for sentimental reasons.)

Maroon discoloration? Maroon discoloration? Never heard of this. Kind of like the Binion Hoard only with a less precious metal. Sad.

There is a blasphemous, somewhat sacrilegious quality to your assertions which I strongly suspect are unassailable fact. Somewhere there is an owner of such a trinket quietly exclaiming, C'est vrai? (It's true?). Yet another instance where due diligence must be exercised. I must admit I am not a fan of ER/LE, etc. A First Edition book means something because it represents the original text not unlike the Dead Sea Scrolls. At the risk of running afoul of the die-break fraternity, and those who assiduously study such arcane matters (some going so far as to stake their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in pursuit of same) what say you in rebuttal to the contention that these coins are essentially one and the same but packaged with a prettier dress and a clever, catchy designation?

Honestly, I no longer recall. I wasn't buying, but the backlash from collectors was undeniable and memorable. Never heard of the Eisenhower affair and don't know what to make of it beyond dismissing it as an apparently willfully manufactured rarity.

I am trying to remember when these wheaties began vanishing from change. If not for their copper content, would they still be around? Probably not, though I did get one in change two years ago. There is nothing wrong with your "best" choice. (I am partial to one-hit wonders like the 1837 Feuctwanger, but nobody asked so I'm going to keep that to myself.)

I cannot help but feel that but for that rather generic shield on the reverse, the Indian Head penny would have been a contender. My favorite? Nothing beats the Flying Eagle cent for sheer simplicity with country, date and denomination, not to mention that lovely eagle in flight.

FROM MY VIRTUAL TRASH BASKET. [What is it, cherie? Quick, come look at this... Grown men all worked up about coins minted over two hundred years ago, replete with impeccable references, as though their very lives depended on it! J'accuse! Wow, can't we all just get along?]

For those unwilling to broach this seemingly taboo topic, permit me to answer. (As Popeye the Sailor from the early 1930s cartoon series would growl: "Whatcha got? Whatcha g-o-t?") TPGS -- which I had vowed I would never use (and hadn't until last year) -- do provide a needed service. As to whether they are extortionate hinges on our complicity and acceptance of the product. Our learned colleague VKurtB maintains (as elsewhere addressed) that pricing is dependent on the accommodation each side is willing to make in a negotiated transaction. Hence, Make An Offer could quickly descend into a No Sale and the product quietly being withdrawn from sale for another time. I have had violent objections with grade assignments. Who hasn't. But a recent survey indicating the threshold amount collectors would be willing to pay for a raw, uncertified product, up to $50., has gotten me to thinking. Do I really want to be burdened with intricate descriptions, detailed photography and the use of ever-present somewhat anti-social threats of "No Returns-All Sales Final?" If I am subject to something in a non-discriminatory manner, it's something I can live with. It goes with the territory.

I don't know about that... If I were new to the hobby/pursuit/obsession, I wonder whether I would find it any more attractive if prices were steady and stagnant -- or worse: in a slow, steady decline. I bought a fresh off the press Englehardt 100 troy ounce silver bar once (when it was still possible to do so) in the early1980's for either five or six hundred dollars and when spot silver rose by a dollar and change in very short order, sold it for an immediate one hundred dollar profit. The Hunt brothers tried to corner the silver market and drove the silver spot all the way to $50. an ounce (circa 1980) before the whole scheme collapsed causing them to lose $2B. In coin collecting you never know what's going to happen, or when. You learn to roll with the punches. Nothing is guaranteed. If you are in it for the short haul you will likely become discouraged. You know what really hurts the hobby? This business with the U.S. Mint selling out of a product they know, or should have known, was wildly popular with collectors in just two hours. The ebb and flow of prices is natural; this sort of nonsense is not.

Maybe, but it's still assembly-line work with its own built-in time constraints. The last thing anyone wants is overload burnout and a highly-promising co-worker sitting in the booby hatch muttering Full Bell Lines under his breath.

What about that "6"?(1917); What about that "repunched 1"? (thebeav); what about "far 8/close 8"? (zadok)... Inquiring minds want to know whether these legitimate concerns have any merit irrespective of the thrust of the original inquiry. Comments, anyone?

Man, I absolutely love this! Something to give a jolt to the old spark plugs and get the creative juices flowing! Twilight Zone-ish! Thanks, I needed that!

Ah, don't feel bad. My first apartment (yes, in NYC) was $63.94/month. Buffalo nickels, Mercury dimes, the Walking Halves were all common in change. I recall finding an Indian Head penny, 1894, VG, in change. Morgan dollars were at the local bank. Ask any teller. My brother and I took all our Silver Certificates down to the Subtreasury's Assay Office on Wall Street (I believe June 1967, if memory serves) and redeemed them for a small plastic bag filled with silver granules. I remember wondering why we could never find pennies older than 1909 or nickels before 1913 or dimes before 1916, etc. Nothing remarkable about all this back then in the 1960s until we began organizing the change my father brought home from work and realized some dates were a lot harder to find than others. Enter the Red Book which uncovered the mysteries what with mintages and pricing. I was a type collector like everybody else. Proof sets were only two dollars and change. The very first coin I bought was an 1909-S VDB, BU, purchased from Stack's for $200. My mother was horrified: "You paid $200. for a penny???" Yes, I did. Is there anyone out there who would think twice about spending that much on that coin today? It's all relative. Silver? Ha! Ha! Ha! My brother (deceased) still had an original roll of BU Kennedy halves from '64 that he picked up at a bank and held onto before and after the advent of clad coinage which pretty much dampened my enthusiasm for coins for obvious reasons. So today I would have to say I have nothing to complain about. Great memories. Running boards on cars I never saw, but I got to see the old wooden train cars on the Myrtle Avenue el in Brooklyn before they tore it down in '73 and old coins could be gotten from antique shops along with Civil War-era copies of Harper's Weekly. Great stuff! I have had my moment in the sun. Now it's time the young whippersnappers out there had their share of fun. Happy Collecting to all, and to all a good nite!

Really? I better pipe down before our mutual colleague from the Keystone State sees this. You learn something new everyday...

Hold up, wait a mi-nute... What about Mr. Physics' contention that one appeared to have been improperly cleaned and stripped of its patina, i.e., its [honey golden hue and original mint luster?] I am familiar with change of composition esthetics from my ownership of original and re-strike French 20-franc gold roosters and appreciate the difference but nothing so pronounced. At the risk of jeopardizing my alleged "rank amateur" status, I'm all-in with Physics' on this one.

I love the word-play here. Reminds me of the FBI Special Agent's oft-quoted rejoinder to a suspect: "you are not being 'accused,' you are simply being 'charged.' " Nice!

Your reply had me doing a double-take. None of the above? The Liberty Walking Half won by a landslide!

This old posting has revived a lot of memories for me... the scandal at long since disbanded RIO COINS in New York after silver was removed from coins and NORTH WEST TERRITORIES Mint out west. But the biggest disappointment for me was that seemingly magical S.S. CENTRAL AMERICA recovery which ended with the imprisonment of the lead figure.

I am very curious to know what your choices would have been.

I stand on my reply. As to the time discrepancy, I believe you are mistaken. I cannot respond to something that does not exist. These are aggregate feeds. I guess I will have to leave it to Forensics to unravel this. Bear in mind, the original query is over two years old.

It is concerning.