Henri Charriere

The principle of a single point as a source of light is well-known and lies at the crux of the argument between incandescence vs fluorescence for examining coins. The simple fact of the matter is because fluorescence floods a surface, the eye works overtime in attempting to establish any semblance of topographical relief from a surface where shadows are non-existent. One member swears by a circle of L.E.D. I have no experience with them. (I believe the proliferation of fluorescence is responsible, in part, for compromising the eyesight of office workers. The many detractors of flourescent bulbs are unable to prevail because they are cheaper than incandescent bulbs.

Forget cheating. Anything exceeding 5x-7x power woulf incur the indomitable wrath of VKurtB! And sight-unseen? Out-of-hand? Fuhgettaboutit!

🐓 : Hey Q! You're not really concerned about any of this preservation stuff are you? Q.A.: Not at all. None of this will have any effect on thirty-seven per cent of the seasoned veterans reading this column. 🐓 : Rumor has it JA's sarcophagi, in time, will be featuring cutting edge technology. Holders will be hermetically-sealed. If any problems develop, that'll be the province of today's Newbies. You'd be surprised at how clever some of these whippersnappers can be. I am afraid I cannot be more forthcoming. That's one of the seven questions nobody can seem to get a straight answer to.

This sounds about right but we've got 50 more weeks to go. As the broadcaster on WINS (1010) used to day, "a lot can happen in a little while."

The Qumran Caves provided an ideal storage for the Dead Sea Scrolls; the bottom of the Black Sea, devoid of light and air, but cold, proved to be an ideal resting place for sunken wooden vessels. What is your understanding as to what would constitute the ideal storage environment for raw coins and/or slabs, if you feel it matters. Consider temperature, gases, humidity, and exposure to extremes in temperature as well proximity to factors you feel are important but rarely mentioned.

Allow me to answer your questions this way. On my application for a marriage license seven years ago, in the space for employment I wrote "chiffonier." It was a highly-respected member here who discovered, lo and behold, though now retired, I had described myself as a "rag picker." I am none of the things you've referenced. I am just a simple collector who wants to see every collector get a fair shake on this Forum. 1. I have never been to an auction, coin show, or for that matter, a ball game. 2. The total extent of my coin collection is comprised of 24 French 20-franc gold roosters certified by PCGS and NGC in Mint State grades and displayed on both Set Registries, ranked at # 1 and # 6, respectively. 3. I am 72, retired and married. My father was descended from the Hittites; my mother from the Crimean Tatars. Both were atheists; both are deceased. 4. By unanimous mutual assent of the membership, my knowledge of numismatics is non-existent. I believe my net worth is zero although that may be an exaggeration. The presence or lack of Roosters has no effect on the quality of my life. I am a dues-paying guest who serves at the pleasure of NGC's management.

🐓: What's that line you hit the late, great Oldhoop with? Q.A.: "You opened the door, counselor!" 🤣 * * * I believe the OP is simply expressing his passion for this coin. There is no ulterior motive whatever. The only "opinion" that counts is that of the graders and, however interesting a story may be, they are going to insist that any claim be substantiated by documentary evidence.

It does... in an unpredecedented straight horizontal line across the coin's reverse. A-a-a-nd, if anyone should have the audacity to challenge your claim, you can dazzle them with your command of numismystique by confidently pointing out yours is a gold die crack, recognized by the hobby as a Type Two which, unlike silver, exhibits a distinct bas-relief effect. Silver or Type One die cracks, Mint State or Proof, exhibit a completely opposite alto relievo effect. Almost had you there didn't I? 🤣

Silver cyanide gas. Not to worry. I just made that up. On the other hand, if anything untoward were to happen to the '33 D.E., someone would have to answer to that. And, of course, that would have to go by extension to any of the other hundreds of trophy coins.

Your average five-dollar gold coin is not ordinarily subject to wear and tear since they were not minted for circulation, hence, they are uncirculated. The grade can only be bestowed by a grader. I would urge you to return it to its OGH.

🐓: Hey Q, this is a thread you can leave comments on! Q.A.: Good! I feel our colleague here has been dealt a low blow. This coin is nearly 100 years old and bears an old certification number. It even retains much of its original mint luster! The BN designation, while fair with the rare d-d cent that directly precedes it, doesn't do this coin, which is clearly RB, justice. My

Final advice: until more information becomes available, I would not submit this coin for certification. Unless a Grading Finalizer has made Sac dollars the subject of his personal area of interest, and absent any compelling distinguishing characteristics, your coin will be graded routinely. There is little time available to graders to research each and every claim made by submitters. That is why documentation -- and chains of custody are important -- and why so-called First Strikes must be forwarded, intact, within a specific time- frame for special label attribution. If you feel strongly about your coin(s) I would place them in protective flips with appropriate notes, and set them aside. As member @Woods020once wisely opined: "read more, submit less, and question eveything." (12/15/2020)

What I see @8:00 is a snub-nosed prong where the "rubber is supposed to meet the road," in a manner of speaking. What is a "curved clip" supposed to look like? [Forgive me as I am a Newbie with only 60 years in the hobby.] 🤣

Would it be safe to say, expense notwithstanding, you declined to buy this coin because it had no die cracks? 🤣

Personal inventory management is the only reason I can think of. Now of course others, like the notable Pallet King Midas here will insist, "no one is under any obligation to divulge the extent of their holdings..." and I would have to agree -- any photos posted are superfluous and too small to be of any true value -- but then why bother? Again, I am not aware of this practice here. Only at P. Their presence, under User Names, is personal and confidential. One more thing before I beat a hasty exit: they are non-communicative. You do not know who they are, they cannot contact you, nor you them. Coin collectors are an odd lot.

An MS-68 is an extraordinarily high grade for a coin. And yet you present it raw with no documentation to support your claim. Have you any special documentation or packaging to support your claim? With those in hand, you would not need to resort to explanation of any kind. And with certification the coin you claim is special could speak for itself. Frankly, you come across unsure and somewhat defensive. If the narrative does not fit, I would not submit.

I feel like I am being mollycoddled to death here against my will. Would you, or any other responsible member, care to cite the source of this speculative statement? Is this a candid admission conceded to a third-party, like Mark Feld who worked with and knew JA as anyone possibly could to comfortably share that insight with others for attribution? I do not care if I am the only person who feels this way, but this oft-repeated line whose origin is unclear seems to have attained the status of gospel truth. I do not believe it, find it offensive, repulsive and indefensible. Let's pretend I'm from Missouri, the "Show Me" state. Someone -- anyone, show me and I shall resign my commission and silence my voice on this Forum to time indefinite, even forever, as JHVH of Armies, the God of Israel before whom I do stand, is living...

🐓: Why do I feel there are 600 invitation-only guests out there, somewhere, absolutely fuming that something they participated in, did not happen because the half-cent guy said so?

I deal in hard facts, not discretionary courtesies extended to select members for unstated reasons.

I do not believe your query was answered directly or satisfactorily. Malhereusement, while I do not have a current submission form which would reflect the latest revised prices, a recent [PCGS] form should give you some idea as to what it costs to grade a trophy coin. Under the headings Total Declared Value (for the purposes of calculating the applicable insurance) are nine (9) boxes. Under the one headed "$100,001 - $150,000, the fee for one coin is $104.95. A trophy coin with a declared value of $ 1 MM, is off the charts. Literally. A micro-printed note placed under the charts directs members with "packages over $100,000 to call customer service." The actual grading fee will depend on service level requested and a number of other variables. The super-rich are not like you or me. They are secure in the knowledge they, or their heirs, will recoup all monies expended on their investment.

What exactly is it you wish to know about them?

Q.A. I tell you I don't understand a word these guys are saying. I keep my end simple and I don't care who knows about it. My broker is Ricky, and when Ricky speaks... 🤣 (Where's GF1969? How 'bout runnin' that E. F. Hutton commercial for old time's sake.)

🐓: Is he denigrating what amounts to "High Wires"? Q.A.: Gosh, I hope not! 🤣

Good question, and an important one at that. Your comment prompts me to report an interesting new development at PCGS. If I am not mistaken, if you want to view the various Set Registries, you are free to do so. You did not, and do not, need to be a member. Contrary to NGC which promotes competition and interest, many sets at PCGS are registered and listed but not viewable at the owner's request. (And no one, member or not, can PM the owner.) Case in point: French 10-Francs gold roosters. There are three, but only one is "public". With only one viewable set to refer to, it is simply not possible for collectors of that series to know where they stand. Now, however, it seems if you wish to view any one of the tens of thousands of sets, whether your own or anyone else's, you must log-in and after doing so, must submit a verification code to be received via text or phone (your choice) ostensibly to "verify this is really you." I do not know what prompted these additional security measures but in view of what you've disclosed regarding their chip technology, it seems they are ratcheting up their security measures and, in so doing, creating a paper trail of access which would come in handy for investigative purposes. I have to believe if what you've said is true, they have been made aware of it and the matter is being addressed.

Quoting from what I have just read... "Will [there] ever be a great demand for them?" "No." Some 2,253 pieces, platinum, 2008. And yet a 1995-W Proof Silver Eagle with a run of 30,125 pieces, literally went through the roof. Why? I remember when they were going for $30,000. Another forum member, if memory serves, reported seeing one go for as high as $100K. So why the disparity in price for one precious metal, less "precious" than yours, silver vs platinum, minted in a great many times more than yours? For one, it had the lowest mintage run of any such Proof Silver Eagle to date, and more to the point, if you wished to acquire one, you had to purchase the complete proof set which is where actual demand became skewed by coin dealers and hobbyists who recognized a rare investment opportunity when they saw one and jumped right in. (A sampling of them as posted on eBay today revealed prices, in the thousands of dollars, but all over the place. This is in keeping with the fickle nature of coins, generally. If you are pleased with your acquisition, others' opinions are not important. When I sent my sister a gold Rooster, her candid response was, Why this, and not an Angel? That's gratitude for you. My feeling is if you're proud enough to post it publicly on a thread, it has meaning for you. It's a keeper.