Henri Charriere

Very nice specimen thanks to the responsible stewardship of previous owners.

Very lovely! One of my all-time favorites. Thanks for sharing it!

The epitome of cruelty but you've got me laughing so hard I can no longer see! (Would you hand me a Kleenex, dear.... what are you laughing about?... it's a long story, eight pages, 200 some-odd posts. Ha! Ha! Ha!)

I AM ASHAMED TO SAY, I AGREE. LOL!

[Having sustained third-degree burns on my left hand by merely holding the cellphone containing your rolling, blistering commentary, I will continue to hunt-and-peck with my unscalded right.] In the earliest Hebrew-Aramaic scrolls, God's unique name, represented by a tetragrammaton, was never pronounced. King James substituted JHVH (or YHWH) with "LORD," using "Lord" to refer to his son, hence the awkward: "The LORD said unto my Lord,...." Ps 110:1 KJV. Your commentary which addresses an [apparently] forbidden subject, the gods comprising TPGS, lays bare a series of fascinating facts I personally find interesting. For example, by extension, who better to grade a French coin than the folks affiliated with the foreign office of the TPGS located in that country? (As an old time NYC police detective convincingly argued, "if you are shot, you want to be taken to Harlem or Lincoln -- public hospitals with ample experience in treating gun-shot wounds." Not a private facility with limited exposure to mayhem.) I agree with your argument, as so eloquently set forth, that, if I may use the analogy, is not unlike baseball teams with "greatness" displayed at intervals, according to the year and experience of the players employed. Likewise, the authoritativeness of a TPG is dependent on the graders then employed. Valid point. Does not Michelin rate restaurants based on, among other things, the master chef choreographing activities in the kitchen? Unskilled chef, poor meal quality. Tellingly, NGC reportedly will allow PCGS-graded coins in their Set Registry -- with the exception of World Gold which requires a certain expertise to process owing to disparate grading systems. Thank you for taking the time to offer your insight! (I have to go seek first-aid for my injuries.)

Maybe so but look at the date on the missive: a different time and a totally different era. Are you prepared to vouch for conditions at that mint circa the date in question? (I can just see see a researcher giving himself a light smack on the forehead whilst exclaiming, "That was the handiwork of Shapiro and his bozo sidekick, Rabinowitz! Two of the most incompetent employees to ever [dis]grace the Mint!) Well, Conder 101, you get my drift.

I cannot, for the life of me, remember whether my inadvertent discovery of a Set Registry acted as a catalyst propelling me into the stratospheric heights of collecting, or was merely me exhibiting the traits of a Virgo's compulsion for perfection. Either way, it was a pricey ride fraught with peril, i.e., buying merchandise sight unseen. Your collection is magnificent. I give you a giant toolbar-like E for Effort!

While I cannot answer your query with authoritative confidence, I can state that I do not recall ever seeing a Washington clad quarter exhibiting signs of this affliction. Near smooth? (Just a moment. I have quarters. Let me take a look...) Well, I'll be! I have numerous such examples in your date range, however, I am unable to reconcile condition, with the assigned grade. I would not characterize any of these old work horses as Mint State. As to whether such a phenomenon would militate against you at a TPGS inquest, to me that would be an invitation to take a closer look. I'll let the experts with 150 years of aggregate numismatic experience weigh in on this.

To my many detractors who mocked my use of a 30-power loupe: do you honestly think you would be able to detect the barely imperceptible vibration of this gem with a mere 5-to-7 jammy? Take a good look at those top three photographs. Thank you, Mr. Hinkle, for vindicating me once again. And good luck on your quest!

Note: For the record, this coin [as displayed on my wife's cheap, knock-off] cell is appropriately sharp with detail, color and contrast and, for all intents and purposes, presents as though it were in the palm of my hand. (In point of fact, it looks just as detailed as that stunning SG D/E slated for auction at Heritage, 9/17/20!) My cell is strictly talk and text. [No internet.]

I have heard of tranquilizer touchstones (and beads) but am unfamiliar with this. I get it now. So unlike the purported healing properties of a copper bracelet, this is a more tactile product. [I specifically bought a double-thick, pure silver, 1804 dollar from the Intaglio mint but it was in such pristine condition I nixed carrying it around.] Your idea is better. Can't argue with success. All the best!

Oh-oh! Much like Paulie in Goodfellas (1990) who readily admitted he knew nothing about the restaurant business, I know nothing about ETFs, BTUs -- or UFOs, for that matter. Mr. Goldfinger1969 (any relation to TekashiSixNine? Just kidding!) with all due respect, I have reached an age where engaging in speculative pursuits is not in my best interest. Goldfinger1969: Well excuse me, Roostermeister! QA: I know. I know. It was temporary insanity. G1969: Well, alright, I was only trying to be helpful. QA: I know you were and I appreciate your honesty. Thanks for the reality check. RWB.

(Oh Lord, this is what they must mean when they say an old thread's got new legs...)

Ha! Ha! Ha! "Horse blankets" was the term they used for the oversized bank notes from another time and era.

Thank you kindly! You even threw in a reference to "horse blankets" which I haven't seen in the flesh since the 1960's. Thanks again, for the memories and encouragement!

Hate to revive a dead horse but your comment, as excerpted above, has remained stuck in my craw for the past month impervious to dental procedure. Now that the thundering herd has moved on, may I ask you to reconsider your decision to withhold comment and state forthrightly whatever it is you may know about this matter as I am intensely interested as the rooster-meister who initiated this thread. I am all ears. Tks!

Not resistance, just disenchantment with the hobby in general when "silver" no longer contained any and old-time coins slowly disappeared from circulation. [I am also less than thrilled with present-day currency. No comparison to Watermelon notes, overprints and the lovely Educational series.] This Rooster-meister is pretty much retired.

"Monster" suspicion confirmed. There was a coin concern (I do not recall the name) which had a large inventory of simply impossible errors, like a single off-metal planchet that somehow made its way into the minting process. Probably more difficult to do at the BEP where currency is printed in sheets. Thanks.

Off-topic... with all your experience traipsing around branch mints and having had lunch with the mint director, I wonder whether you can clear up a suspicion I have harbored for a long time. True or patently false: some so-called coin errors are nothing more than the product of a compromised mint employee unethically intercepted after hours by an unknown party with a scheme and a bribe.

Indubitably, my friend. But you did not know that I did not know that.

VKurtB, what a pleasant surprise early in the mrng! A grading course? I am not buying. And I am not selling. On all numismatic matters, I defer to you. I don't need to forge ahead; I follow in your wake. Incidentally, my knowledge is not '70s and 80's; it's vintage 50's and 60's. All I have now are my roosters. They are like pet rocks (remember them?). Low maintenance, requiring minimal care. I am just an onlooker now, my friend. I may jump in now and then but no one takes me seriously. And no one should. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Well said.

I will confide in you the problem I have with this artificial flavoring from my perspective. With this term, we descend unwittingly into the ill-defined bottomless pit of the realm known by its colloquial name: Subjectivity. After all, just how proof-like must a coin be to earn that honorarium? Where "Used" was once used, we now say "Pre-owned." Or wait, my cherry-red Corvette stingray may be an antique, but I drove it home from the dealership in 1970 and it's been up on blocks since. Ok, we will call it "like-new." But it still retains it's new car scent! Like I said, like-new, with low mileage, okay? Maybe we ought to have a grading system for cars. Proof-like is like saying you live on Park Avenue. The only problem with that is Park extends thru Harlem and the South Bronx, the latter described as the poorest Congressional District in the nation. Proof-like leaves a funny aftertaste in my mouth.

Notwithstanding New York City's bail reform measure clearly enacted to facilitate the closure of the municipal jails which has also had the effect of releasing on low- or no-bail serial bank robbers and gang bangers -- a number of whom have been referred to the federal courts... I agree. That's petit larceny, or by whatever name known in other jurisdictions. [Aside: I once found a brand-new $100. bill torn 3x into eight pieces in a Chinatown trash basket which I recovered to piece together later at home, and discovered to my astonishment it was real. The dangling security threads were a dead giveaway. I posited a scenario whereby a local shopkeeper or shopkeepers refused to accept the bill in a transaction due to its unfamiliar features as compared with the old C-notes, and the rejected customer sat down in the local park and tore the bill up in frustration.] He couldn't take it to a bank. Technically, counterfeit bills are supposed to be confiscated though I have been handed back a questionable bill, now and again. A local Chinese take-out once refused to accept my half-dollar and one-dollar coins and even my two-dollar bill, without explanation. I chalk it all up to simple unfamiliarity with coins and currency, rarely encountered. I seriously doubt in a city, where those who cut and rob are only detained briefly, anyone would be arrested for a bag of Cheetos. In fact, any such police officer involved would probably be disciplined and laughed out of the stationhouse. (District attorneys here have publicly stated anyone arrested for marijuana, or other quality-of-life offenses, would not be prosecuted.)

Dang! I started to tap out a response but the censors overruled me. Briefly, you face a Hobson's choice: echoing some of the heavyweights among us, the coin must be validated, i.e., submitted for authentication and certification, BUT (big but) to do so would make no economic sense. Suppose you were to roll the dice with a hefty wager and come up snake eyes? Are you better off buying a slew of scratch offs or lottery tickets with mega long shot odds? There was a gentleman who kindly suggested you shelve your dream, for now. I am inclined to agree. It's a no-win situation.