Henri Charriere

I am going to take the liberty of assuming you are referring to the Italian 500 lire. 🐓

Correctamundo, Kurt! My apologies to the membership. Whether they can be found in circulation, or not, is besides the point. They were determined, either by the Moai of Easter Island in eastern Polynesia or by other gods on high, to be the 100 Greatest U.S. Coins. We are all duty-bound to respect that [and I need to brush up on my reading skills]. 🤣

Oh, I get it. The field was inundated compromising the underpinning resulting in the subsiding of the surface. My diagnosis still stands.

I am going to guess you are referring to the substantive damage sustained by the coin sometime during its 50+ years in circulation. It, to my untrained eye, appears to be nothing more and nothing less than inexplicable, garden variety PMD.

This comment will not be permitted to stand with Moderation, but here goes: What I see between the six and nine is an unmistakably public, and therefore positively unlawful and illegal, act of congress. But to be fair about things, how is what is depicted there any different from the significant debris field left behind by retreating glaciers most prominently seen in the area between 9 and 10 o' clock, to the immediate left of, and below IN, in the motto IGWT?

This is trick question! 🤣 If you are talking about rolls other than the ones comprised of coins delivered to concerns under contract with and directly from the U.S. Mint, or its branches, in the 1930's, i.e., unopened or otherwise untampered with, the answer is a resounding, No! I have a sneaky feeling our Roger would reject the claim as frivolous even if accompanied by videotape, seals and official markings. It seems to me the term UNCIRCULATED has lost its luster and been diluted by numismatists over time. I may collect MINT STATE gold roosters, but I am a strict constructionist at heart, meaning uncirculated means UNCIRCULATED. To the OP: I hereby award your topic and the comments it has elicited, five roosters 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓 🐓, my highest rating!

No need to do that. @Fenntucky Mike has the link on his "100 Greatest U.S. Coins" post with the complete lists from both the 5th and 4th Editions. Read 'em and weep.

I think it best to make a clear distinction between Mint [Uncirculated) Sets by year, and Proof Sets by year, or range of years, as changes were made in packaging Speaking from experience, I do recall Proof Sets in the early years coming in standard, square, sealed sets. A member posted a cell photo of one. Another volunteered the year the changeover from cardboard flat boxes to quality paper envelopes took place. With the advent of financialization of the hobby, no doubt spurred by TPGS, still sealed boxes became rare. The interesting thing about the flat boxes was its contents, i.e., year, was not indicated on the box. Dealers penciled them in presumably by year postmarked. I do not recall any Mint set coming in a sealed white envelope in the 1960's, but then again, their cost was economical by today's standards. Prices being what they are today, you cannot rectify an error that may had been made unless you examine the product. [The only exception to this common-sense advice today is forwarding an unopened Monster Box of ASE directly to a TPGS for time-sensitive certification and First Strike/First Day of Issue attributions.] *** Just curious... Is there a reference a member can consult which definitively states how Proof and Uncirculated sets were originally packaged from the mid-1930's on? I think it would be useful to know as some collectors truly believe some sets were issued in "original" lucite holders.

[True, but put yourself in his place, new and as yet unaquainted with the combatants on the Chat Board. Hope springs eternal... if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.] 🐓

To the World Coin collectors of Ancients: Respectfully, the coin the OP owns was certified by NGC Ancients. He seeks additional information regarding same. Is there a standard world coin reference book he can consult to obtain its catalog or reference numbers?

[Shopping around for a second opinion. Who can blame him.]

You would think so.

As noted on a related-subject thread. Only 3 coins were deemed to be contenders for the 100 Greatest U.S. coins in the past 100 years; none are in circulation, presently.

@Fenntucky Mike : Take solace in the fact that the market will be the Final Arbiter, irrespective of our individual opinions. Now @GoldFinger1969 has raised an interesting point. A generation of collectors have come and gone. The dedicated book on just DEs may be just what's needed to drum up interest in a hobby that hasn't been updated in reference form in a generation. You never know what may strike the fancy of post baby-boomer generations flush with cash, not to be mention trust babies now largely gown up.

There ought to be a law against anyone enjoying a hobby this much.

Have you a valid license to practice? 🤣

[I believe for illustration purposes, depicting one of the finest examples of DDO available, as in the 1972 Lincoln you've chosen, is ideal. Unfortunately, it seems the examples featured regularly in this Forum are PMDd and any distinctive characteristics are not so easy to discern. That likely explains the never-ending procession of queries. Just my hunch.]

T B b S O L. The coin, first and foremost, is 27 years old. It has presumably been in circulation all that time. There is extensive PMD (post-mint damage). Directly above the date is a crater left by a meteorite. The "T" in LIBERTY exhibits a symptom of the tertiary stage of a communicable disease. There is no telling exactly what happened to the IN GOD part of IGWT. Wear and tear is to be expected in older coins found in circulation. I am not going to bother to ask you what the reverse looks like. I will assume it is in Mint State condition. 🤣 The "9" looks odd, but what would you look like if you went out in a blizzard or sub-freezing temperatures without protective gear of any kind? I advise you again to get a good grounding in your type coin of concentration. Roll hunting is for retirees who can effortlessly separate the wheat from the chaff. Spend more time reading and less time scavenging. Familiarize yourself with the key dates (and the varieties you will likely never see). Above all, collect for the enjoyment and thrill of finding something you never thought you would in the unlikeliest of places. The Forum will always be there for you.

I regard the magnet test to be definitive. All the other considerations, and there are a few, are secondary. If a '43 "copper" sticks, you must acquit. And if you think education via certification is expensive, try ignorance. Second opinions should be sought discreetly. Get into the habit of handling coins by their edges, however damaged they may appear to be. Yes, even yours.

Based upon the comments received thus far, some abrupt and dismissive, sarcastic, unnecessarily cruel and generally unhelpful to someone new to coin collecting, I am going to suggest you get yourself a copy of the latest Red Book (or perhaps wait for the newest edition due shortly) and acquaint yourself with this broad subject matter. And if you wish to restrict your reading to Lincoln cents, by all means do so. Certification is a serious matter. You must have a good idea of what it is you are submitting and whether doing so is warranted and cost-effective. I am going to leave you with the wise words one member left the forum with three years ago: "read more, submit less, and question everything." -W020 I urge you to try and master the hobby well enough to identify coins correctly, how many were minted and their approximate worth. Focus on quality. Do not get caught up in the internet-inspired line that "you too can become a millionaire" by simply looking at your spare change. I personally would leave ERRORS and VARIETIES alone, until you have mastered the basic essentials. I am no expert but experience tells me if your coin were truly valuable, you would have been told so in unambiguous words at the very outset of your post.

Me thinketh you expect too much. I am just sorry it had to end on such a sour, ultimately unproductive note.

I am afraid that won't be necessary. The French "Red Book" covers the entire series in a single page. One-half page devoted to the "Originals," another half to the "Restrikes." Their story may be encapsulated in an adaptation of the Latin words attributed to Julius Caesar: "VENI. VIDI. VICI." They came, they saw, they conquered. [And then they were gone.]

🐓: You know what this means don't you? Q.A.: Yup, a book on gold roosters is but a pipe dream. When we're long gone it'll be every collector for himself.

I am not a collector of the series but my gut reaction is it is absolutely stunning, may be undergraded for a strong strike sporting intact denticular structure with truly minor, easily-overlooked PMD. Putting it at AU-50, practically in EF's lap, seems awfully severe. I don't know from FS-801-- this does appear to be a DDR -- and this may also be something I never noticed before, but the left arrow appears to be noticeably higher, and not on the same horizontal plane, as its right counterpart. I do not believe it should be resubmitted barring exigent circumstances, i.e. monetary considerations. That's one very lovely half!

Correct. Never a Mint. I was in it only once to redeem my silver certificates for a bag of silver granules back in '67. The building still stands, but has since been subsumed by an office tower.