Henri Charriere

Actually there is dropping it on its edge with any other Wheatie from a modest height. The copper coin will emit a resounding bell-like ring. The "imposter" will land with a thud and lie flat on its side. I would be curious to know what instrument was used to determine the composition in precise percentages. Does the coin respond to magnets? Copper won't.

In light of your reference to the duration of the exertion applied, may I be so bold as to inquire as to the formal name of the instrument employed [in lieu of your meticulously scrubbed and manicured thumb?]

If the field there is depressed, then one way to describe the phenomenon observed is an "inverted burial mound." Note: I hereby forfeit to NGC, and its subsidiaries, any claim I may have had as to intellectual property rights to the term used.

Possibly analogous to dental impressions taken of each jaw in a special clay-like substance preparatory to making dentures. (I do not, of course, speak from personal, first-hand experience.)

Evidently, it seems you have already made the acquaintance of this gentleman, hence the precious broadside. Malheureusement, we will likely never learn the seller's actual retail price.

While I am not licensed to practice coin-grading and am eminently unqualified to pass judgment on other members' coins, and Newbies in particular, I will offer two observations: The number Seven in the date of the coin posted above appears to have been caught in mid-vibration as evidenced by the lower extremity. As you will likely not be able to persuade an expert to believe you may be the sole owner of an unknown DDO of a single number, all by its lonesome, I would attribute it to the inevitable result of metal pounding metal, i.e. slippage a/k/a machine doubling. Rather than adhere to time-honored custom and dismissively sniff, "it is worthless," I will buck tradition and simply suggest it is not worth a premium. As every letter on the reverse appears legible to me, that leaves only the mint mark and I neither know where or when it was repositioned from the reverse to the obverse and, if a product of the Philadelphia branch mint, when it made its debut.

Exactly. We do not know what the OP collected nor how long they have lain dormant out of sight and mind. There is no telling what he may find.

As regarding the above assertion, I have never been able to verify or refute the claim. There is no record of a Tommy (or Thomas) Gregory Thompson having been in the custody of Federal prison officials before or after the ship was found in 1988, nearly 35 years ago. There are more convolutions in his legal odyssey than there are of my brain. He will be 72 next month and has appeared in court at least 19 times in the past 7-1/2 years. There is no comparable precedent for this seeming interminable predicament. This much we do know: in April 2015, he pled guilty for failure to appear on an earlier case -- it took U.S. Marshals two years to locate him, and was "sentenced" provisionally to two years in jail and a fine of $250,000. However, the plea bargain he agreed to included a requirement for Thompson to answer the questions about the whereabouts of 500 gold coins worth $2.5 million which he has adamantly refused to do claiming short-term memory loss. In the eyes of the judicial system, he broke the plea agreement and has yet to serve a single day in prison. He has been jailed as a detainee indefinitely on charges of contempt of court until he cooperates. In essence, were he to comply, it would be in the court's discretion as to whether his sentencing, the long deferred two years hanging over his head, would go forward and be enforced. In the meantime, he is being kept in custody as a detainee -- not a sentenced prisoner -- and has been for 7 years and has amassed fines totaling some $27 million dollars, and counting. In my initial posts, I made references to a large coffee table-sized book containing photos of the ship's bounty, its remarkable recovery (for which Thompson did not possess the necessary license resulting in lawsuits filed by 91 insurance entities) conservation and formal preparation for subsequent sales. If you enjoyed Kinder's "Ship of Gold," you will absolutely love Thompson's "America's Lost Treasure" (1998) and its superb color photos, if you can locate a copy. I appreciate the quote from an opera by Wagner. Posted at the discretion of Moderation.

BY 2035??? THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU TOLD ME WHEN YOU SAID, "TRUST ME, I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING." YOU TOLD ME IN MY LIFETIME! I'LL BE 84 THEN! SAY, WHAT IS THIS? A GAG?

Same genus, same species, but different sub-set or sub-species. "When you're a jet, you're a jet all the way," but precious metals is different with a major divergence in branches going all the way back to pre-Cambrian times. That distinction must be recognized and accepted. When the former owner of the '33 D.E. and one-cent magenta British Guiana postage stamp bid on those items, I seriously doubt it was because he was enamored of them. Those had INVESTMENT written all over them. There was the intent and expectation, whether expressed or not, that he would profit, and perhaps handsomely so, at some time in the future. Briefly, there is gold bullion and numismatic gold collectibles. That distinction must be maintained. All gold [and silver] coins are created equal within their respective series, but unlike bullion they are subject to the additional demands, or lackluster fickle ways of the market.

To the OP: I was wondering whether you had any new developments to report...

This is a curious statement made without elaboration. In the never-ending quest to broaden the hobby's "body of knowledge," I asked Ricky, Q.A.'s one-time sidekick, to research the matter further. He came up with the following: "The term Ferris wheel" comes from the maker of one of the first examples constructed for Chicago's World Columbian Exposition by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. in 1893." -Wikipedia

Yes, I am painfully aware of that.

There was ONE, only one instance I can recall of a USG agency selling a product in sealed envelopes, for an excellent reason. No, not the USM, but the USPS sold the original ultra-rare "Inverted Jenny" 24-cent Air Mail stamps in 1919. On its 2019 centennial, the rarer stamps featured the plane right-side up, denominated them at $2.00 each in a block of four for $15.00 and sealed the envelopes to prevent rummaging by postal employees. I had difficulty buying them because postal employees were not apprised of their existence. I still have a few envelopes, still unopened, and only found out this week some were sold individually for $100, and up, and for several hundred dollars per intact block of four. If I recall correctly, the older flat-pack proof sets were sealed and apparently dated by postmark. In the photo of one you once posted, you can see the penciled notation as to the year the coins were minted in the manner mine were, a 1950 and a 1951. Other than that, I do recall Mint sets were sold in white envelopes with gummed seals, unopened.

These are coins you've apparently had for some time. Unless the flips have sustained damage, I would leave them right where they are. Take an inventory of exactly what you have. Are there enough to organize them into type of coin? If you have a Red Book it will give you a good idea as to what coins are worthy of being encapsulated. Certifications by TPGSs would not be cost-effective except for the more exceptional coins. For the time being, I would try to get a good grasp on what you have and its approximate worth. After everything has been identified, sorted out and inventoried, the regulars on the Forum will be happy to assist you with further inquiries.

Say,... anyone know the whereabouts of Russia between 1940 and 1970 and China between 1940 and 1980?

This is the valuable one. This is the one that leaves all the nattering nabobs of negativism dumbstruck. Not a murmer from anyone. Why? Because it is an ERROR! Whoa! It was accorded absolute immunity at birth. Now a formerly unacceptable medal is not only acceptable but fawned over. So much so that it may be able to command a premium. I believe this ERROR was committed with calculated, premeditated malicious aforethought but either way, CARR has been vindicated by nothing more than an accidental sleight of hand. ERROR? Don't be silly! T'was an accident... could've happened to anyone.

Your inquiry was off to a sluggish start, but it was Sunday -- and to be expected. I am very happy the Forum came thru for you, and so quickly! Quick question... Every book nowadays has an International Standard Book Number, or ISBN. My French gold rooster series has two catalog numbers: KM: 857 and GAD: 1064 (1899-1906) and GAD: 1064a (1907-1914). What is the universally recognized letter or letter/number combination used to identify the specific coin you have?

Somebody tried to pull a fast one with the mintmark. Lassoed it, but couldn't rein it in. Funny how nobody I knew ever brought any of this to our attention. Busy trading baseball cards I guess. The coin is just as old as I am, but none the worse for wear. I'm shot.

There a great many variables involved in this, one of which is rarely mentioned on the Forum: age. If you are an old dinosaur like me, getting rich quick, which ought not to be a consideration for anyone, except perhaps gamblers, is out of the question. A sensible person, unlike me, would not put all his eggs in one basket. The word sell is not a part of my vocabulary but for the benefit of those for whom it is, they may wish to consider this: if you sell, when gold has hit what you believe to be is its zenith, you have effectively ruled out the opportunity to buy again in the here and now unless you are privy to information not generally available to others. For me, unlike most reasonable people, I am a Set Registrant. The die was cast. It doesn't matter what the price is because like marriage, I must be prepared, for better or worse, to defend my ranking, with upgrades, whether I wish to or not, at all costs. If you are young, you can enjoy the luxury of taking risks. If you are retired and living on a fixed income, you have to exercise extreme caution. GF1969 is correct on one thing: investment strategy. Diversify your investment holdings. And just as errors and varieties ought not to be the province of the novice collector, I would advise a conservative approach with gold. Whether gold is too high to buy is a question I am ill-equipped to answer conclusively.

Our Grand Master laid down the gauntlet on one thread recently, and two striking things did not happen. He was neither challenged nor belittled. His tactic, if by happenstance or intent, is to sit by, let everyone have their say, and POUNCE! Not all knowledgeable people agree and many forgo commenting to avoid the commotion that doing so would most assuredly ensue.

Very considerate of you. I don't think the Hunt brothers were that thoughtful when they tried to corner the silver market back in '80.

Not to mention tensions between nations, secret wars, proxy armies and the rest we are forbidden to expound upon.

Re: Old Thread... Six (6) months is not old; a year or two might be. The last time I was caught exploring long dormant old threads and revealing the latest results of my archaeological digs, Oldhoop came down with a flashlight and ordered me out. It effectively takes years to master the Forum. And that is why 99.44% of time it is, as here, a newbie who resurrects it without malice forethought. A lot of really good material posted at the outset; a refresher course of sorts. [And a socially-acceptable opportunity to bum-rush the newer folks. 🤣 ]

Is it? I have a number of reasons for believing it is not, but I put it to the membership to weigh in with their views in a new topic: Is Gold too High to Buy Now?" It will be interesting to hear what others have to say.