Henri Charriere

That is why I maintain the so-called "Counterfeit Forgery" was actually a legitimate coin ruined in a crude, primitive way to determine its authenticity. Common sense tells you if its gold fineness: .9 (followed by 17 zeros) and 2, is the precise composition of the real coin, it stands to reason it is real, too.

I do not know how any of this can be of help to the OP. He requested a grade; he got a slew of those from all over the place. There is no unanimity over whether this coin has even been in circulation. Without a verdict on grade, there can be no intelligible discourse on value. An "offer" of $70 to a possible valuation of up to $350 is meaningless. I am afraid you will have to review the replies and come to your own conclusion as to whether certification is justified. Bear in mind, this is a home-made product and deserves recognition as such. If it were mine, I would have it certified for better or worse. And if I were interested in selling it, I would take the consignment route and let the chips fall where they may.

(...as you may know, you've broken my broken leg three times in a row... that's a lot of lay-up time...these census reports (and valuation reports all carry disclaimers... you know, we are not responsible for this or that... values fluctuate with the market, etc.,...my preliminary advice is use them as a persiscope...they let you know "there" are mutations out there... malheureusement, there is not enough time, manpower or bandwidth available to accommodate coin connoisseurs like yourself to describe each and every variety for every little niche of U.S. coinage to everyone's satisfaction. The primary purpose of this device is to inform the collector that varieties either exist or do not exist and if you choose to exercise an available option, it's right there: TAP "Shop Now!" in the nice convenient blue box situated right under the multi-color banner: "Find it on eBay." Sorry you had to wait three hours for a reply to your Topic, but think of it this way, you lucked out....out of the thousands of lurkers out there, you got me first!

🐓: By PM, I am going to assume we aren't talking Private Messaging here. Q.A.: No, indeedy. Both members of good standing know very well every obsolete coin is fair game: mercs, perks and Turks. The whole kit 'n' kaboodle. That goes for the BIG bills, too. Who's going to turn down a McKinley, Cleveland, Madison or Chase? NOBODY. Even an ignoramus like me is going to say, "Just a moment, ma'am..." And excuse myself, rush out, and rustle up the change to give the little old lady, which invariably always turns out to be a happy, satisfied, repeat customer. Now, on to the matter at hand, forget Morgans, that's novice nite. Every one of those bullion coins of which you speak has a DENOMINATION on it. Now whether it would be inadvisable to spend one at face value is an entirely different matter. (You both know I am am on Lifetime Probation here and serve at the pleasure and discretion of management. Cut me a little slack here.)

I see Jay Murder is still promoting his wares. Ah well, you live you learn. ***

To the Original Poster (OP): you!... Never in my wildest dreams have I ever witnessed a more unfortunate debut. Worse, it has elicited debate and discussion in a dozen posts! I believe RWB, our Grandmaster, has your coin pegged right. (His post lies directly above this one.) I have been told never to offer any criticism or advice unless you have a constructive solution. My solution is to make you an offer you couldn't refuse: offer you coins your junk box would be proud to hold but only if you throw your eyesore into the gutter, street or stream, whichever is most covenient to you.. Quite frankly, your [I hesitate to call it a "coin"] is not worthy of discussion. If you TAP my name on this post, it will take you to my member page. TAP the envelope sign there and if you would be kind enough to provide me with a name and address, does not have to be yours [ or P.O. BOX] of someone you trust to receive mail, I will be happy to ship to you, at my expense, an array of coins that will be sure to make your day. Among them... Wheaties, old nickels, dimes, quarters, Kennedy halves with silver, small dollar coins, tokens -- even the lowest ball so low NGC declined to certify it. Honestly, opinions are all well and good. I would rather you walk away from this debacle with a good feeling.

Hi there! This may very well be a follow-up story on a Topic I posted, entitled: "Where's the Guinea?" A fellow member was kind enough to post a picture of one as the thrust of the article was focused on the archeological dig and details of the combat that had taken place and the coin was seemingly mentioned almost as an afterthought. P.S. re hashtag... start with the # and type their user name. If there is a space between # and the name, provide one. Using this method will help alert the member you wish to reach via a notification. (I regret I am unable to provide you with link to my Topic regarding the above. I only have 16 years of formal schooling.) 🤣

(no comment.)

Q.A.: How come you never mentioned this? 🐓 : Denver? That was a month ago. What about it? Q.A.: Read the last line... 🐓: I didn't think it was worth mentioning. Q.A.: WELL IT WAS! YOU KNOW HOW CRAZY I AM ABOUT HIGH WIRES! SAME WAY WHAT'S-HIS-NAME WORSHIPS PROOF DIE CRACKS. I HAVE A THEORY... THAT'S THAT MILE-HIGH PLACE, RIGHT? I'D BE WILLING TO BET IT'S GOT SOMETHING TO DO WITH AIR PRESSURE AND THE RAREFIED ATMOSPHERE. LESS DENSE AIR IN THE WAY... PERFECT STRIKE! .I LOVE ME A HIGH WIRE NOW AND AGAIN! WHADDYA THINK? 🐓 : I THINK z WAS RIGHT. YOU'RE NUTTIER THAN A PECAN PIE! Q.A.: IN THAT CASE, I'LL HAVE TO RUN IT BY THE FINAL ARBITER ON EVERYTHING: @VKurtB . 🐓 : I CAN SEE IT NOW... SPECIAL EXTRA-HIGH RELIEFS AND A COUPLE OF NEW MINT MARKS TO GO WITH 'EM: "E" FOR MT. EVEREST, "M" FOR THE MOON, AND "T" FOR LAKE TITICACA. PURE GENIUS I TELLYA!!! (Posted at the discretion of Moderation.)

Q.A.: I would like to have the unique 1908 St.-Gaudens half eagle pattern which was the subject of @RWB 's Topic, "Destruction of 1908 Indian and St. Gaudens half eagle patterns," Mar. 10. I believe it to be in the constructive possession of my most faithful follower who for the past 37 years refuses to confirm or deny its very existence.. (As a practical matter he has adamantly refused to authorize any photographs taken of it.) In the alternative, I would be interested in acquiring either of the two French 20-francs gold roosters, dated 1908 and 1912 and graded [and cross-graded] an impressive and unprecedented MS-68 by the top two TPGSs My faithful follower, while readily acknowledging the coins exist, has stated on a number of occasions that they are not for sale now nor will they be in the forseeable future and has declined to have a professional photographer take pictures of them under any circumstances. He has also declined to disclose their certification numbers. 🐓 : Dream coins? Pfttt!

🐓: What's the finest fineness you ever heard of? Q.A.: Four nines: .9999. 🐓 : So what happened to the other .0001? Q.A.: According to Wm S. Burroughs, God kept it for himself. 🤣

I see a few problems with your assertions -- and I am not taking sides. It seems to me Idhair, relying on personal knowledge and experience, would not feel comfortable advocating for something that cannot produce consistent, positive results, so he would rather "err" on the side of safety. You managed to get one by NGC, but considering their caseload and the average interval spent on a never-ending cascade of coins, why wouldn't some slip by? One member who very likely is not convinced or impressed is RWB. You cannot prove the '34 quarter was treated; he cannot prove it wasn't. VKurtB cautions Newbies to stay away from YouTube. I say some people simply need guidance. Is alcohol, tobacco and drugs dangerous? Not if you don't use them. I don't think any member has an axe to grind in dissuading others to engage in potentially consequential activity.

🐓 : "....wasted..." There goes your theory on sentimental value. Pfttt! Any more brilliant deductions? Q.A.: Remember the time I bought that USPS money order for two ($0.02) cents, and the nice lady behind the counter asked me if I knew what I was doing? I said yes, and it was well worth the price. I can see there is no intimidating you and holding you will serve no useful purpose. You don't owe me or anyone else an explanation... Go ahead and release him, Ricky. You're a good sport power guy!

Q.A.: IT IS ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NOT DAMAGE PRODUCED DURING MINTAGE OPERATION. 🐓: HOW DO YOU KNOW? WHAT EVIDENCE CAN YOU CITE IN SUPPORT OF YOUR STAND-ALONE CONCLUSION UNSUPPORTED BY A SHRED OF LEGALLY-ADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE? Q.A.: THAT'S THE BRILLIANCE OF MY STRATEGY. NO ONE WOULD ACCEPT SUCH CONJECTURE PRESENTED AS FACT, LYING DOWN. 🐓: OKAY, THEN WHAT? Q.A.: HE WILL [HOPEFULLY] PRODUCE AN APPROPRIATE PHOTO ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLES SET DOWN BY THE RENOWNED SANDON (SUFFICIENT MAGNIFICATION, CLOSELY-CROPPED AND UNDER SUITABLE LIGHTING CONDITIONS; IT WOULD NOT HURT TO POST A PHOTO OF THE REVERSE AS WELL.) 🐓: SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. Q.A.: WE DON'T. THE BALL IS IN HIS COURT. (Posted at the discretion of Moderation.)

🐓: May I cross-examine the witness? Q.A.: Sure, go right ahead! MV: Did I say something wrong??? 🐓: Not at all... I am curious to know if you have ever gotten a gift that had you sitting there, after unwrapping it, totally perplexed? Or received.something that made you wonder, "Why this?" (Worse case scenario: getting something you can't stand... Why would anyone give me this???) I have a theory that this was how and why "re-gifting" began. Hence, all the stories about unwanted fruitcakes, positively revolting neckties and totally useless tchotchkes. Doormen, superintendent, porters -- even the regular postal worker get red envelopes from me. My attitude is, I want them to know I really appreciated their service and can count on their cooperation next time. Now, you might rightly say, "but I'm not talking about service people. I am talking about my family and friends." Fair enough. My response: some people are "giftable," others are not. I don't particularly care for gifts; sometimes they cause problems. I gave my mother gifts of things I knew she absolutely loved: flowers, Lily of the Valley-scented, triple-milled three-bar boxes of soap from France and perfumes. Decades later, she passed away and tucked away with everything else was a love letter I had written to a girl in elementary school (who later realized her dream in Hollywood) -- and every box of soap and perfume I had bought her for her birthday, Mother's Day and other special occasions. I asked my sister who was going through her things with me, "Why?" and she had apparently confided her they were too lovely to open and use. No wonder every kid I grew up with said they wished they had a mother like mine. I can recall saying to any number of people, "Here, get yourself something you really want." They understand. Cash may seem impersonal but it helps to explain to your recipient why you made that choice. The most difficult gifts are those intended for "the person who has nothing," and "the person who has everything" I made a promise to a person on this Forum that if I won one of the big lotteries, I would get him the High-Wire Act (SG DE MCMVIII) the coin he always had his eye on. I intend to keep that promise, with or w/o his knowledge. (Posted at the discretion of Moderation.)

I have nothing to substantiate this assertion, but I have a feeling there are many more holed coins in India than in any other country in the world. The "coins," whether real or not are composed of 22k, or 91.6% pure gold. German silver, contains no silver at all. It contains a 60% Cu base, 20% Zn, and 20 % Ni. The English have their own system: Sterling is 92.5% while Brittania (which I have never encountered is at least 95.84% silver. Getting back to India [which appears to hold their gold in high regard, I would assume the gold worn as jewelry has no real numismatic value and its true worth is as a form of wearable bullion] but I want to emphasize that is only my feeling particularly after visiting the heart of Little India and it's countless gold shops in Jakson Heights, Queens, N.Y. Holed coins are not common but my impression after perusing a number of catalogs from Europe is holed coins with numismatic value are rarely available for sale. As jewelry, gold outnumbered silver. Simply my impression. Maybe I should ring up @zadok . He is the go-to person on everything numismatic. 🤣

EXTRA! EXTRA! Hear all about it... My army of fans will be delighted to hear I tore through all my leather-bound calendar/diary/record books and found an entry dated September 30, 2011, and photo entitled, "This gold bar shown here last week in Nanjing, China (yes that Nanjing, formerly known as the infamous site of what has come to be known as the Nanking Massacre 1937) weighs 99.999 kilograms and has a purity of 99.999 percent." MEMBERSHIP: Hold on a minute! What's this weigh in troy ounces and what's this worth in USD? 🐓: To quote the late, great Oldhoopster: "Go look it up!" (Alright, alright... Hint: as of this writing, just one kilogram of gold is valued at $77,338.17. You may multiply that figure by 100.) (I thank our Grandmaster, RWB, for his cooperation in graciously allowing me to keep the Topic active pending release of the upcoming article, and the Moderators for posting the foregoing at their discretion.) Man, I love this place! 🤣

Just 2 fleeting thoughts... 1. @powermad5000 : pray tell, where did you get this fantastical notion that you don't have to explain yourself to anyone? Tell ya what, we're gonna leave you cuffed to the wall. When you're ready to talk turkey, give us a holla. 2. @cladking : I regret to inform you that those of us who remember exactly where we were when Kennedy got shot, had options. Most of us began collecting from change. Those born post 9/11 are from an alien culture and speak a strange tongue. Absent real coins (you know, with silver and copper, not just copper mascara) in change, they will collect whatever they can get their hands on. Modern is all they've ever known and that's what they're going to collect. Truth be told, I feel sorry for them. So sorry, in fact, that despite the fact the bank teller was glad the 12 rolls I picked up at a bank that got tired of looking at them with no takers, I took and gave all 120 to young people who had never even known they existed, ancient women trying to eke out an existence collecting recyclables, check-out clerks, migrants (for good luck) and criminals... with a warning: Listen closely, Spend it or lose it and bad luck will follow you for the rest of your life. My collecting days are over. One -- and I'm done! You can quote me on that.

I am just a bit curious. As readers may recall, Ricky ratted me out upthread and disclosed I had snuck downstairs to the mailbox after learning earlier in the heat of battle with combatants on this Topic that a dead-center pre-punched hole had arrived. This entire thread was devoted to the use and misuse of acetone. On other Topics, vinegar was discussed as was extra virgin olive oil -- as well as other products including WD-40 (which I intend to use the next time I come across a Zincoln or similar worthless piece. My question is the token I received is made of brass and has that typical funeral parlor pallor. Anybody have a valid suggestion. JB on his Token Tuesday thread recommended olive oil (which it is sitting in now) but no way I am going to wait weeks or months for results. Surely, there is a Mad Scientist out there that can suggest a more expedited approach because, JHVH willing, it's coming out of the drink a minute past Tuesday morning, hopefully bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready for its close-up and posting.

Funny thing is I had no trouble ordering a coin from France from someone I never met, spoke to or had prior communication with, threw 2G in cash in an envelope, and mailed it, just like that, with nary a care in the world, but with your coin, I envision a large neon sign blinking on-and-off DEF-CON-1.and FULL STOP! But why? Part of it is... (you got time? Good!) When I met my fiancee's mother for the first time, I brought her a textbook on Calculus and a full-color, quality brochure for a top-of-the-line Patek Phiippe chronograph. Her sisters translated my English to French: "This is what I see in your daughter: perfection, beauty and a finished gem, both inside and out. She understood. Mike, I understand what you are trying to convey with mere words, but I am a certified Virgo. I would not accept that coin if it were offered to me free in an inheritance, regardless its true value. I don't acquire things that require an explanation down the line. I prefer the coin speak for itself. 🐓 : Pardon me, but wasn't that a holed coin that you got out of the mailbox last nite? Q.A.: Ricky, relax! That was a token by patients admitted to the Federal Narcotics Hospital (known by various names) pre-holed, for use in vending machines circa 1935. The only explanation required is why I bought it. (I'll save that for JB's Token Tuesday topic Irrespective of one's view, or that of a TPGS -- they call it details; NYPD homicide calls it a "through-and-through," a shot that entered and exited the deceased, cleanly. Gratuitous comment: Wanna compromise its value? Give it an acetone bath!

Just hadda remind me it's also been that long since a worthy 🐓 has turned up for my reg. set... Both nickels are Buffalo-ready!

That, and most regrettably... "What makes you think this is a counterfeit? Teach me!" This is where my path and those trod by the highly-acclaimed seasoned veterans on the various forums,who really ought to know better, diverge. Absolutely ridiculous that some illiterate fella in Guandong province would a). fail to acquire a genuine specimen, or two, and b).a stack of high-resolution photos, to boot, with which to compare their artistic skills with. Anyone with prior coiner experience already knows the basics. (I would not be surprised at all to find out some apprentices are members in good standing.) Apparently, no one with the intestinal fortitude here, can summon up the courage to say, "Pardon my impertinence, but aren't you the same person who was scammed in a widely-reported gold scheme, or was it that scamster writing to you from Nigeria...?" If, a month from now, my highly regarded source in France fails to come through for me, I will spare the membership crocodile tears. Almost to a man, those in the know will dismiss the loss as a cheap publicity stunt. After all, WHO sends cash money (crisp currency) through the U.S. Mails? A $20-dollar bill, maybe. Two $100-dollar bills? Possibly, if you know someone locally. But $2,000? to an overseas location? It turns out most of the people who lost their life's savings to Bernie Madoff did not know him personally. He was recommended by a mutual friend by referral. What could possibly go wrong? Have you heard about those impressive monthly account statements? And besides, he was no fly-by-nighter. His whole family was involved and, knowing the reach, investigative powers and infinite resources of the Federal Government, I am not inclined to challenge the assertions made by those claiming they had no prior knowledge of the scheme that kept ballooning out of control. The result was inevitable and the deaths of family members, and requisite banishment of his wife far, far away from everything, was tragic. I suppose he could have turned back but my own feeling was he was in too deep. He could not stop... he had to be stopped. (Posted at the sole discretion of Moderation.)

To my my most faithful and devoted fan @zadok , and the membership-at-large... 1. z: be assured you will be reimbursed for disabling your "sad" emoji which saw more action than the Marines at Iwo Jima; 2. I was diagnosed as a "Danny Downer" by the OP. Sandon was elevated to "Rocket Scientist" which effectively supersedes his status as "Newbie." 3. All kindly note my contribution to broadening the "body of knowledge": The "Q" in Q-tip stands for Quality. 4. Contrary to the OP's claim, two photos of the "washed-out" FEC remain. Seek and ye shall find. 5. Acetone, one of the most common and effective liquids used to rinse powdered cocaine, is banned for export to coca-leaf producing countries by the USG, and remains on its list of prohibited precursor products. 6. Acetone... prolonged exposure to its toxic fumes in enclosed areas without adequate ventilation is the reason why workers of primarily Asian owned nail salons are plagued by headaches, dizziness, memory-loss and ultimately brain damage (as reported in a paper of record.); 7. Whatever the justification for its use, as with clothing and accessories, it is always best to apply acetone on sample coins of equal composition and quality but lesser value first. The OP crows his FEC looks fine, notably using a term no one else has: "washed-out"; 8. "Wrong" is rude and disrespectful. Only Kurt is allowed to use that descriptor. (You can only be insulted or become angry, if you allow yourself to be. That is why z and me get along swimmingly well. Besides, he's obliged to defend Oldhoopster's honor. I understand.); 9. Post left blank. 10. @ Idhair: I did, in fact, accept your offer to "teach me," but moderation thought the better of it. (Posted at the discretion of Moderation, with my express assent.)

I don't know... I think it's best to dispense with the formalities and niceties and get to the heart of the matter. It is my understanding that all innovations are incorporated routinely as standard operating procedure. What we need is an unbiased opinion from someone who is unalterably opposed to certifying everything under the sun. A second opinion, as it were. And who better than @VKurtB is qualified to render an opinion? All in favor, say "Aye!"