Henri Charriere

From the comfort, safety and relative anonymity of a chat room, the rather vocal poodle taunts the older bulldogs. I say let the underdog have his fun! (And be prepared to make RR2020 an offer he can't refuse if he pulls an upset.)

Absolutely the nicest Carson City I have laid eyes on in my nearly 70 years on this earth. Good for you! For reasons I have never understood, the cornerstone-layers of many of the older buildings in New York City took literary license and departed from the rules of formal "grading," as it were, preferring to render, 19--, MCM, as MDCCCC, and 90, XC, as LXXXX. The correct rendering, as you've noted, is MCMXCII. (I believe the '07 St. Gauden's Double Eagle also conformed to this scheme, likely for effect.) Nice Barber!

Talk about the desirability of assembling a collection in short order! To think I was derided by one of the heavyweights on this forum for simply stating my intent at the very outset of assembling a collection of French 20-franc gold roosters in 90 days. The fact of the matter is we are talking a grand total of 16 coins, half of which are generally unavailable in any grade, with plenty of room for upgrading. I can hear the naysayers now: "Aw c'mon. If we wanted to bust your chops, we'd've told you to go home and get your shinebox." THANK YOU WORLD COLONIAL FOR VINDICATING ME! While I have the No. 1 compilation elsewhere -- with plenty of room for upgrading as specimens become available, it would never occur to me to deride another collector's niche fixation. If someone were seized with the compulsion to complete a set of $4 gold Stellas, I certainly would not begrudge his choice. To those who enjoy tearing down, try uplifting instead. Bear in mind, there may be Young Numismatists watching!

(Whatever else must be said, you have to admire the tenacity of a guy who, intermittently, and reportedly over two years' time, is willing to hold his own against an aggregate 150 years of cumulative collective professional numismatic experience. The worst that can happen? Much ado about nothing. The best? Yet another contribution to the hobby. The alleged seven-figure valuation? What did that entity claim you had and what did he charge you for his written appraisal? We're not talking sensitive Top Secret disclosure that would compromise the national security of the nation here.)

No, the statute of limitations resolved those indiscretions. "Mister 880" (Edward Mueller) the man at the center of a ten-year Secret Service counterfeit currency investigation -- the agency's longest and costliest, when finally caught in 1948 responded with a toothy grin and the remark: "They were only one-dollar bills." True indeed, but nevertheless unlawful and illegal. Like I said, a polite reminder.

May I politely remind the numismatic fraternity at large that defacing coins produced by the various U.S. mints is a federal offense: see Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 331.

Looks like VKurtB was right. Again. Certification is but one factor to consider. I myself did what I had to do and took the plunge after I decided to "sleep on [a buying decision]" on three separate occasions only to discover the seldom available offering had been snapped up at a price not much more than that I had agonized over. You had to have it. Perfectly understandable.

In the absence of once ubiquitous brick-and-mortar establishments, and your understandable reluctance to put yourself out there with photographs, you're only other option is direct submission to a TPG such as NGC. (How much you ought to insure your parcel for is a valid concern; I rely on Registered postal mail and a nominal amount of insurance.) An auction house is going to want to see something, anything, to substantiate your claim that you own a particular item worthy of their attention and that means certification, or detailed photos they can check. Even those Pawn Stars rely on experts to render an opinion -- with the item in question right there in front of them.

(Why do I feel this splendid 1943 Lincoln is going to turn out to be made from steel and not copper? If you have car trouble would you jump onto a chat board you never knew existed, or take it to a mechanic? You're going to have to be more forthcoming. What are you going to do when you win the New York State lottery which bars claiming a prize anonymously? Contact a reputable, NGC-authorized local coin dealer, like Stack's, which has been around since well before the advent of clad coinage, for authentication. One more thing: condition matters. Just giving you a heads-up here.)

(I don't know that I would have the audacity and endurance to challenge your recitation of straight-forward, no-axe-to-grind, immutable facts. How does one come back from such punishing blows? You've effectively made short work of that constant refrain regarding the unmolested edge. As Archie Bunker said to his wife Edith, "You [Coinbuf] are something else!").

I am with you on that. One of the major reasons why most Set Registries of French 20-franc gold rooster coins stagnate is the unavailability of NGC-graded material for the earlier (original) years, 1899-1906. Not sure whose fault that is. Sadly, the coins I seek -- which can be counted on one hand -- exist but languish outside the Registry in an inaccessible Twilight Zone.

(I am still hoping someone will step forward and claim responsibility for this desecration even going so far as to concede extra care was taken to protect the edges.)

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.