Henri Charriere

[It may very well be. I was hoping the likes of Just Bob would take the bait and request a photo of the reverse which I would be unable to provide because the following descriptors were inexplicably placed inside the interlocking state rings at the bottom by the die engraver, as follows: "2 ozt" (Virginia) ".999" (Maryland) and "silver" (Delaware). And yes, it has a reeded edge. I believe I paid $37. for it from the Intaglio mint.] 😉

My MS-67 Continental.

Only 5%? Carry on!

Couldn't resist this one! Sorry.

with dazzling, exceptional eye appeal." I understand.

I will take that as an explicit invitation to return. I am, however, out officially until 12:01 am, 09-08-2020.

There are undoubtedly those who will consider what I am about to say the epitome of heresy, nay, treasonous, but I am seriously considering taking a sabbatical. I will look in from time to time but will refrain from commenting until... how's after the Labor Day weekend sound? Alright then, it's settled. See you all then. All the best!

Congratulations!

7. Slabbed coins, authenticated and certified, command a higher price or premium than similar coins presented raw. 8. Peace of mind. Commercial TPGS, in large part, take the guesswork out of product identification. Two more: 9. A slabbed coin, assigned a unique certification number, can be easily verified on-line in the comfort of one's home, prior to purchase. 10. [At PCGS] a newly-acquired slabbed coin must be "released" by the previous owner before it can be formally added to one's Set Registry. (To speed up the process, I once submitted an invoice from an overseas dealer made out in euros which was promptly accepted.) Authentication, certification, encapsulation, registration codes, labels and photography are all deterrents to inadvertent or purposeful misrepresentation, theft and counterfeiting.

I heard that! And here I was pondering... Maybe I can reinvigorate the Forum... Naaah!

Very nice dead-center strike with even wear!

I withheld comment due to reservations of my own. I have a gold Venezuelan coin graded at AU-58 with nice eye appeal and a complete lack of surface pyrotechnics and ditto a French gold rooster, which graded at MS-64, both virtually indistinguishable despite the gulf in grade spread. VKurtB says gold tends to be graded generously. Bag marks are expected but I didn't appreciate this until I laid eyes on an MS-67 with original mint luster and no discernible defects. The only possible way I could practice grading is to have a detailed photo array of coin type examples in front of me of obverses and reverses at the pinnacle of the good doctor's scale.

(Whatever happened to, I don't want anything more to do with Quintus Arrius?) Alright then, imprimus, I most certainly will not dissect Insider's comment here. (Bad enough he had me effectively barred from another thread by laying down a gauntlet with a "bet" stipulation.) Secondly, re roosters, I was laser-focused on locating the finest available coins, sight unseen, which necessarily meant an assemblage that relied solely on my implicit trust of a TPGS' international offices. Fortunately, my faith was rewarded. (If there was any semblance of "wolfery," that honor must go to the "detective" who tracked down owners of high-grade specimens, made them an offer they could not refuse, relayed that to me, and the rest, as they say, is history. Public offerings at that level are so sparce, I have not been able to upgrade since late last year and with gold's meteoric rise, it is doubtful I'll ever be able to.)

Oh, for Chris'sake, VKurtB! You really want him to spell it out for you on a public forum? This is something that must be deduced in the overall context of the comment. You may draw the inference as you see fit. Buttonholing or pillorying is not acceptable.

Fair market value grading? I agree.

Fifteen pages now. Forget legs and wings. This one's got rocket propulsion! A lot of talk re "real grading" and "basic grading techniques." I am perusing the latest auction catalog from Paris and their upper tier grading scheme gives one pause: SUP (Superbe) is, according to them, the U.S. equivalent of a range of from AU-55 to MS-62; SPL (Splendide) is equivalent to MS-63 and MS-64; and FDC (Fleur De Coin) is equivalent to a range of from MS-65 to MS-70! I believe the folks over there are amused with our fixation over literally scores of different grades where they make do with six basic grade groupings. Oh, and there are two more: BE (Belle Epreuve) = Proof and BU (Brillant Universel) = to Brilliant Uncirculated. It is not clear to me why the latter category is superior to Proof though I imagine one of our learned resident experts can provide a clarification.

A ton? A TON! And you farmed out the Frankenstein concession to Ratzie33? Makes sense. How's business? B t w, If you were new to coin collecting a few years ago why would a 1943 penny look odd enough to notice if it was copper like everything else in the pile? As Alice in Wonderland said, this is getting "curiouser and curiouser!"

Four hundred and some odd posts later, the OP is no better off today than the day he started this thread. And we never did get to find out where he got the coin from. Mother of mercy! Is this the end of RichieRich2020?

Interesting footnote!

Enquiring minds still want to know the precise circumstance by which you acquired this coin, i.e., purchased or simply found, and if the former, from whom and the representation made by the seller to induce you to buy it. How did you come by this possible "new discovery"?

If one doesn't have change to give back, rounding up to the next $.05 does help by valving off the pressure retailers are currently experiencing by having to produce coins (pennies) they do not have which sit in jars in customers' homes.

[I was tempted to bring up chop marks on Mint state Trade Dollars but I see you're all doing very well without me. All the best!]

[I would guess everybody watching would feel a whole lot better if you said you acquired it from Ratzie33 for an obscene amount of money. That would explain everything.]

The only alternative, as I see it, is to have a posse comitatus sworn in to conduct a nation-wide search for an elusive coin bearing a similar die signature. That doesn't appear to be feasible. There was a chorus of vituperative, venomous vitriol that descended on this post fairly early on. But, World Colonial, with no axe to grind (in my third-party, no axe to grind, humble opinion) is simply stating the facts as he knows and sees them. He, and a few others, are actually doing us a favor by offering his appraisal of the process and a taste of what the OP is in store for should he submit a coin with apparently no known provenance. I do not sense any semblance of malicious gloating or boasting on his part as I have some others. His opinion is entirely neutral -- almost a public service announcement of what to expect when you're expecting the best outcome with a coin that does not enjoy recognition backed by a written track record. We can all dispense with his learned soliloquy, backed by years of experience -- at our own peril.

Only Ratzie33 can solve the mystery of whether the nefarious cabal was involved but it is my understanding he signed a non-disclosure agreement.