Henri Charriere

Q.A.: Deflection? Not at all! Here's deflection: "Look it up." Sound familiar? 🐓: Have a heart, Q! Make an exception. (That sad face is really beginning to get to me.) Q.A.: Oh, alright... Under the Presidential Succession Act of 1792, the Senate president pro tempore [D.R.A.] immediately followed the vice president in the line of presidential succession. President James Polk's term formally ended on March 4, 1849, at noon, and Zachary Taylor was not sworn in until noon on March 5th. (In observance of the Christian Sabbath, Taylor preferred not to conduct his inauguration on Sunday, March 4th) David Rice Atchison, president pro tempore of the Senate lawfully and legally filled that void and technically became President of the United States for one day. (He only found out about it when he was awakened from his sleep by a supporter seeking a patronage job from him.) My apologies to the OP for intentionally hijacking his thread. 🤣 Posted, as always, at the discretion of Moderation.

🐓: Say Q, remember wondering out loud why anyone who had amassed arguably The Finest collection of custom sets would even bother with less than stellar pieces? Well, here in his own words, is his unique approach to problem-solving... Q.A.: Ah, mystery solved! That explains ev-e-ry-thing -- everything, that is, except who taught you how to read. 🤣 This is one feel-good thread, from start to finish! Man, I love this place!

Yo, redrum guy! You're making me look like a real [expletive deleted] by continuing to insist in your persistence in pursuing this highly irregular agenda. You're a Newbie. Okay, no problem. For lack of a better term, you committed irreversible error. Upshot? Your thread is dead. I gave you the benefit of the doubt early on: pick A or pick B. Or so I thought. Then the jolt in the form of a Reality Check hit, your motive was exposed, and that should have been the end of it. Here, you can sign off on this debacle by humming this tune to the musical score 🎶 from "Superfly"... "Thread is de-ead. bu-, bu-, Bump!... bu-, bu- Bump! bu-, bu- Bump! ... Bu- bu-bu-bu BUMP!" Finito Goomba! Capiche?

Aw pipe down! What a waste of a perfectly good joke! No wonder I have been kicked off this Board more times than I can shake a stick at! Now, take @Mike Meenderink 's rendering of forensic, a few posts upthread, as phorensic. I believe he did that intentionally to get my dander up! But I certainly wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he subtly reached out and touched me. No siree, not me!!!

My all-time favorite was the Intaglio Mint which for reasons unknown, quietly abandoned their line of classic U.S. coins, many rendered in 2-oz .999 silver versions, to pursue Fantasy pieces.

To quote "Henry Bemis" (Actor Burgess Meredith) in the 1959 Twilight Zone episode, "Time Enough At Last,"... "That's not fair! That's not fair at all"...

Hello there, Noob115 (and all of your other 114 presumably close associates)! You are indeed a man of your word (as am I). I may have lost my p/t gig as Guest Moderator, but none of my storytelling ability in my never-ending quest to broaden the coin collector community's collective body of knowledge. I am going to pump up the volume on that delectable morsel, your favorite true-blue 1920 cent, as follows. First and foremost, it survived the still-unsolved Wall Street Bomb Explosion which occurred a minute past noon on September 16, 1920 (since memorialized in a Wikipedia account as having resulted in the deaths of 30 -- and one horse.) You will hear stories about anarchists and the physical damage inflicted on J.P Morgan's bank which is still visible to this day, but rarely the footnote to the affair which involved the unpublicized movement of $900 million in gold bars being moved that day in the sub-Treasury building directly across the street. Re your cent... it was purportedly found in the pocket of the driver of the horse-drawn carriage. That's your back story which you may embellish as you see fit. 🤣 Bear in mind, you are not obligated to prove your assertion to anyone. I am going to withhold comment on the rest of your cents as I do not regard any minted after 1959 as "real" due to their reduced copper content, except to point out that your photo of the '64-D, at post-position 3, features a rather interesting feature abbuting Lincoln's forehead that other members may wish to comment (or concoct another story) on. All in all, a fine presentation!

You are the authority on the 70's. No one would dare display the colossal nerve, or outright audacity of challenging you on your claim on this.

Well, I might as well come clean about this. I was going to say, same here, but I can't. I bought the centennial dime ('16-W) and discovered much to my dismay, that I am biased. Deeply prejudiced. I bought the "thing" because it was my late mother's favorite, a Mercury, and would remind me of her every time I looked at it. But it didn't, hasn't, and never will. The first insult was the ridiculous moniker, "Business Strike." I examined it closely with the 30-power loupe our Kurt specifically forbade me to use and saw none of the detail I should have been able to see on something I had never seen before: a freshly-minted Merc. Then, I believe Kurt, in an aside, inadvertently brought to my attention that owing to its metal composition, gold not silver, it would be smaller. It was. Right here upthread, Sandon innocently disclosed this infernal "thing" clearly lacking the engravers touch, was computer-generated. That was the last straw. Now I want my money back. I do not remember what I paid for it and don't care. Sometime soon I'll post the "thing" on the Marketplace at the original issue price and make somebody's day. And I don't care if spot gold is $3,000. So, anyway, that is why I suggested Slab # 2 (which I would not buy either). Allow me to commend you on your magnificent set of half-cents. Now that's what I call a work of art!

To the OP: I wish to apologize to you publicly for my intemperate remarks. In light of the comments posted before and after mine, it is only right I do so. To shed further light on your discovery, and give it some perspective, you had the tenacity and resolve to examine some 2,000 cents and were so eager to share the good news of your find that you posted photos of it within five minutes of becoming a member, undoubtedly a record that will stand for some time! Congratulations on your find! I believe yours is the only success story I recall reading about since I began my forays onto this Forum.

🐓: Any thoughts now that all the combatants have exited the arena? Q.A.: A few right off the bat... Two surprises: I have never encountered a Newbie who set his sights so high. I always thought everybody did what we all did. You know, collecting from change, filling type sets and then developing an affinity for one series in particular. Secondly, I can't believe a Newbie knows how to post a Link! I can drive a car but I can't post a link. That's Embarrassing. Very strange thread. The gentleman, technically, wasn't selling anything. His Topic was essentially a solicitation for advice: Is this coin a better investment for a Newbie, or that one? I don't know if it's subliminal or what, but I've got a hankering for SPAM. You going out today?

🐓: I don't know who's right and who's wrong, but one thing for sure: this thread is RED HOT!!! Q.A.: Man, I love this place! 🤣

I guess this is something I do not understand, and from the looks of things, never will. You evidently knew enough about the Lincoln series to know a '92-D CAM, close AM is special. Your coin is in pretty good condition for something that's been in circulation for thirty years. You know that, too. And yet, all you want to know is the condition it's in, i.e., it's possible grade, what it would go for, i.e., how much you might get for it when you sell it, and oh yeah, how to go about submitting it -- and selling it. It appears to me the coin itself has no meaning for you beyond its possible value. Would it be fair to say you are not a coin collector? Do you have a Red Book? I ask because I assembled an entire set of coins without asking anyone a single question. Prior to 2019, I had limited knowledge of the internet. I did not know what eBay was, never heard of PayPal, had no idea what a bank wire transfer was, never heard of TPGSs, Set Registries, the Sheldon scale, encapsulations or "raw" coins. The bulk of my sources were overseas. I never saw, spoke to or placed a single call to anyone. I have two sets; my West coast set is ranked # 1. I was mildly annoyed when coins I sent to my wife's sister as well as my own resulted in cold calls, regarding not their great beauty or gold composition, but in their value. I can assure you when all is said and done you will not get what you were hoping for when you sell your coin. Unbeknownst to you, your find defines you. Without it, you revert to being "the guy who had that rare coin." Savor the moment of your once-in-a-lifetime find and invest your money wisely!

Having just re-read @Sandon's thread regarding artificial vs original toning, I was reminded of my intention to ask you a critical question regarding this post generally, and a few extracts of comments you had made, specifically. Rather than dwell on the nuances of "collecting cultures," I would appreciate your sharing what it is collectors in Germany use to restore their coins to "blast white status," even if it entails subjecting them to a harsh cleaning. Unmentioned in any of this is loss of detail due to wear with resultant loss in value. I would like to know how the two, i.e., cleaning and condition are reconciled or does state of preservation matter only in Stempelglanz (ST) coins which presumably would be stored with enough care to avoid tarnish?

Before you affix that epitaph to stone, I present you with one brain teaser and one brain twister. 1- The ampersand (&) was once the 27th letter of the alphabet. 2- DAVID RICE ATCHISON was once President of the United States. If you or anyone else requests, nay, DEMANDS an explanation or the legitimate source of these assertions, I shall be happy to oblige after a decent and appropriate interval.

No explanation necessary. I enjoy reading everything you've written because your "voice" is unique and stands out from all others. My sole regret is, having elected to opt-out of collecting for fifty years, I am not qualified to weigh in on subject matter I have limited knowledge about.

I cannot understand how such an upbeat topic descended into such chaos. As I have the highest regard for both combatants, and for excellent reasons, I should like to leave both as well as the OP and all other interested viewers with a simple thought a gentleman uttered thirty years ago following a traffic stop. At a news conference, he said, "Can't we all just get along?"

Q.A.: Behold! My latest acquisition. 🐓: A brand-new 2024 Lincoln. First time I've seen one of those! When did you get it? Q.A.: Last nite at the corner bodega. 🐓: I understand the flip, but what's with the $1000 price tag? It's got a rim-ding. Q.A.: EXACTLY! That's the damage it sustained during the Earthquake. When's the last time you saw an 1857-S SSCA coin marked PMD? NEVER! It's a Shipwreck coin, not a parking lot find. Same here. It survived the Earthquake! 🐓 : What earthquake? Q.A.: The one at 10:23 a.m. earlier today. The one you evidently napped through. The whole building was vibrating with intensity. The coin bounced about two inches, off the table, missed my lap, and hit the floor. We're rich I tell you! Rich!!! 🐓 : How 'bout we run this by our Grand Master first? Q.A. Are you crazy? He's gonna want proof! Even a blow-by-blow on video isn't good enough for him! Man, you sure know how to hurt a guy! 🐓: Welcome to Numismatics and the Forum!

... or hinder its inexorable gallop toward the MS-68 Finish Line, unless you persist in squandering your hard-earned money on clearly fanciful pursuits.

... your words, not mine... most telling... ... incidentally... here is how I spell I.R.S., with all caps... Edit ... make that a doubly sad emoji... epitaph is spelled with two pp's...

I am beginning to feel your likelihood of finding something, anything, of note or value is largely dependent on where you live, work, or spend your time. I live in New York City. Every bank and ATM is a branch of the FRB. Same goes for currency. Machine-rolled and shrink-wrapped. No surprises. I should have known better when a young teller at a Chase branch told me if I liked halves, I'd love the dollar coins. I told him not really. I liked the large heavy coins. He said, "that's what I have... the older ones!" My instinct told me no way he meant Morgans. Sure enough, he came out with a dozen hand-rolled Ikes. I got 'em and gave most of them away to people who had never seen them before. My theory is, since most were dual dated Bicentennials, an old-timer held onto them hoping they'd be valuable one day. It wasn't until I became a member and read a thread about them that I learned they were worth more than face. What I would have done had I known better is screen out the better ones and give those away to the members here who collect those things. Anyway, I do enjoy reading about your latest finds! Who knows, you may yet have the last laugh!

Sorry, Jason, you couldn't pay me to do that. In my mind's eye, you are unquestionably the most brilliant person I have had the privilege of ever interacting with, on or off any platform.

This is by far one of the most interesting statistics I have ever come across in the field of numismatics, bar none.

I believe it would have been helpful to crop the photo in such a way as to show the actual mintmark with which the errant marks could have been compared.

@VKurtB : As our globe-trotting, frequent mile flyer, I will put the following question to you since you have more than just a passing knowledge of this seller: What are the chances Chards would sell a customer a counterfeit coin? (By all means, read the foregoing comments made by members, many of whom lack the familiarity with that concern that you do.) To the OP: Fear not. You have dealt with a reputable establishment. Your money will be refunded as per store policy.