Henri Charriere

Troo dat! This is a far more sinister contagion and insidious. Forget the mask. Register your complaint with your feet. Stand your ground!

This is the kind of set that takes the wind out of my sails. It beckons: "Mira!."

Somebody wanted others' opinions? Careful what you ask for! Here's mine. (Yes, a little levity is coming.) Firstly, there are three stages to this coin: "spinster," "matron," and "dowager." Call me dated if you wish but, date and diagnostics, notwithstanding, this is a "dowager." Secondly, there is nothing noteworthy or remarkable about the first three digits, but the fourth is special: it is clearly challenging viewers: "go ahead, make my day. I dare you to "hit me, right here!" Now THIS is an interesting variety. This is the first time I have ever seen a coin wait two centuries to mock all comers! You can't put a premium on that. It's priceless. That's my take.

NFN (Not for nothing) at least both of you HAVE lives; I don't. Some members cannot separate fact from fiction. I am unable to distinguish among my better half's truths, delusions and outright hallucinations. She is incapable of lying or forming criminal intent. Psychiatric disability. Long story. (Posted at the discretion of Moderators.)

Clad HR set? Alloyed or Clad, and if the latter, with what? Was this the 2014 3/4 oz gold coin. What grade? I spent the past half hour and am unable to find specific specs. More to the point, what was its trajectory to relegate it to Fallen Star status? The 2014-W Proof is selling for $1800.

I do not believe so. I heard a familiar voice tell me, "Look it up," and so I did. They were minted from 1919-1947, have a gold melt value of about $105., but what it is worth depends on the grade NGC assigned it when he submitted it to them and the OP said he "was pleasantly surprised." (FWIW: By contrast, the well-known Centanario 50 peso gold coin weighing in at 1.206 troy ounces has a melt just under $2500.)

Mystery solved! I was wondering why on their website they hyphenated "notable-celebrity" (which I decided not to do in the Topic heading above. Now I know. That little (-) changes everything. Thanks, Roger!

I may not think like you, but I can appreciate your train of thought. You're exactly the type of collector this hobby needs. Kindred spirits abound in the unlikeliest of places. Soldier on!

Fast-moving and very informative. Right up @Just Bob's alley. If you've got the time, Mike the thread-bumper's got the video! A great listen!

AUSA: Your Honor, I object! I ask that you direct opposing counsel to instruct the witness to be more responsive. THE COURT: Objection sustained. I order the witness testimony be stricken from the record and the jury to disregard it.

In an aside on another thread recently, I bemoaned the fact that recognizable name-personalities were not, to my knowledge, being used to promote the hobby. Another member volunteered three names, and the matter I briefly mentioned was quietly dropped. Today, in researching an unrelated matter -- the 1908 gold half-eagle pattern that disappeared, I came across the following list of eight names compiled by Century Stamps and Coins (centurystamps.com): Wayne Gretzky, Jack Black, Nicole Kidman, Dennis Rodman (to whom the "Rocket Man" gifted a set of gold coins from North Korea) Martin Sheen, James Earl Jones, Nolan Gould and Kellan Lutz. I do not know what I found to be more surprising: the names that were on the list, or the names that were not. Interesting bit of trivia.

I like your scale. There is a surprising, refreshingly honest evaluative aspect to it you seldom encounter nowadays.

@VKurtB : Where is Vkurt "let the old thread rot" B, now that a distinguished old-time, well-respected thread-master has taken the liberty to weigh in? See, that's what I mean by "practical impossibility." You write as the mood moves you. N O H A R M D O N E.

Yo, G-Money, I'll make this short and simple. Do NOT squander any $$$ on an MS- anything until you have mastered the basics. You have the right to do whatever you please, but be smart. Skip the World and Ancient coins which require more knowledge, get your Red Book out and select a coin type that appeals to you and study up on the series. Every coin series has one or more key dates and/or mintmarks. Nothing wrong with keeping your eye on the prize, but concentrate on the ins and outs of a series. If you're looking to make a quick killing, the chances you will are remote. I have faith in you. Aw-eye? Aw-ite then. On the strength, G!

While I understand how you feel, what you propose is a practical impossibility. Setting aside for a moment the three longest-running threads on the U.S. World & Ancients forum, all of which were begun in 2006, and are miles long with posts made daily, there is a muddy morass of threads which lumber along like the one initiated by one member dissecting RWB's Double Eagle book as well as the "Official St-Gaudens Gold Coin Price Thread," started in 2021, which has amassed 441 [cell] posts of intermittent comments spread over 15 pages. One of the more successful lightning strikes, concerning the "cuirassed" coin which evolved rapidly, was wildly successful, and the matter of provenance resolved inside of a week. Surely you must have it in your heart to forgive the occasional faux pas of a new member who has not had the experience to learn the ropes just yet. I regarded the matter of the S.S. Central America as closed but was pleasantly surprised when one member reactivated it -- and felt honored when another weighed in with yet another shipwreck. I no longer retread old threads but when I do, it's for cause, otherwise our hosts will exile me to Siberia and I will go the way of that lawyer, Alexei Navalny. Is there a fate worse than having to explain, "Vy u Ahm-re-kin here? Vhat u do?" to a heavily-tattoed Russkie Bratva in the Gulag? Take it easy, Kurt. It's only a chat board.

If the unique Indian Half-Eagle pattern survived, and were posted to a forum by a newbie today, here are some of the comments it would likely elicit. [Names of members are redacted to protect the guilty]. I found this coin in a hidden compartment of my grandfather's desk while refurbishing it. Anybody know what it is and what it might be worth? Definitely a fake. And not even a good one. It's got Counterfeit written all over it. Looks like brass. You'll be lucky if you get melt for it if it's even gold. If it ain't in the Red Book, it doesn't exist. I see some doubling -- oh, never mind. The color is off. If you submit it, it'll come back in a body bag. If it is real, it will come back Details-Cleaned. C'mon Quintus! Don't get me started. It's not an error! It's not even real. There were no 1908's made using either the S-G or Indian designs. I don't want IT, whatever IT is, out there. There are enough fakes out there! In the future please take pictures of both sides that are focused, well-lit and closely cropped. This should be posted in the Newbies Forum. I would recommend you read the "Basic Resources" and "What you need to know" topics. If you submitted it, you would only be throwing good money after bad. Posted at the discretion of Moderation.

@IronCoinhunter13 : Based solely on the photographic evidence provided and the comments of crime scene investigators, your coin was not a result of mint-produced damage or error. Consequently, I am afraid I am going to have to withdraw my offer of $2.3 million for your Jefferson nickel of relatively recent vintage.

FWIW, the two devices on either side of the date appear to closely resemble the cornucopia (Horn of Plenty) and torche (torch) two anti-counterfeiting measures adopted by the French Mint and used on coins minted on or about 1902, and apparently since.

(Respectfully, see my post dated Sept. 16, 2022 which references a CoinWeek article in a topic, entitled: "Is this coin worth resubmitting for a regrade," by member MatthewDM11.)

I am sorry I put you through all the trouble of fact-checking this. Everything you've written is correct. I, too, saw the reference to FCI, Milan MI, but the official website of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, has never listed Thompson on it. True, the BOP accommodates both pre-trial detainees and sentenced inmates but a diligent search fails to disclose Thompson's present whereabouts. Jeffrey Epstein, a pre-trial detainee, died in custody, but his name remains on the record for historical purposes. The entire world knew El Chapo was being held in the MDC in Brooklyn, but his whereabouts were not disclosed until after he was sentenced and transferred to ADX-Florence, CO. After the first WTC bombers were convicted, they were flown immediately by helicopter to USP-Lewisburg, PA., until they were brought back to the city, sentenced, and interred at the supermax. When Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano decided to cooperate with Federal officials, his name and Reg. No. were removed from the records as are the names of all inmates in the WITSEC program. Thompson's quandary is almost unique, but nothing I have written or you have read should deter you from obtaining a copy of his book, "America's Lost Treasure," and "hearing" his story as recounted by him. The full-color photos accompanying the text are breathtakingly beautiful.

I asked myself the same thing. No correlation.

I wholeheartedly agree. The topic seems to have been abandoned but I don't understand why. Sandon's reply was so comprehensive that all can benefit from revisiting it. As regarding the Peace dollar, you could not pay ME to accept it as a gift. For the grade and price it lacks Wow! power, period. [To the OP: I do not believe your User name sufficiently captures your essence. I would like to respectfully suggest "G Money" as more befitting your nature and reflective of your station in the life.]

Q.A.: ... maximum of five on those silver 25-coin tubes...non-refundable... 🐓:. ...I thought membership had its privileges?... Q.A.: ... no, that was American Express...

Without further ado, I move the membership recognize this exceptional example, in grade and price, as the undisputed "King of the Low-Balls."

HA's stance makes sense. However, what you interpret as encouragement I see as deflection to a TPGS and deferring to their opinions. HA does not sell coins it grades: that would be a clear violation of conflict of interest. Luckily for them, they would not wish to perform that function which has the added responsibility of sidestepping responsibility. Whatever happens, their role is limited to accurately promoting products pored over by professionals.