Henri Charriere

For the benefit of members, like me, who had never heard of the French 100-Francs Gold Bazor, it may be of interest to know there are 5 set registrants who are owners, all whom had managed to acquire at least one example, all. dated 1935 and certified MS,-64. One member owns 3 of the sets, the same gentleman who currently owns (and will soon own) 5 of the top 10 sets on NGC'S Set Registry for the 20-Francs gold roosters. (Note: It is possible to start a set with a single coin and if the majority of F100GF Bazors were never released or melted down, the only option for set registrants who collect this brief line of coins is to either upgrade or acquire the only other generally available example dated 1936.) Back on Track. Carry on, gentlemen!

That's as good a title as any. They were virtually identical to the 20-Francs Gold Rooster in size and weight but tres unattractive in appearance beginning with their notably tan color. I thank you for contributing to the body of knowledge.

Man, I love this place! 🤣

(Vastly uninformed comment on my part voluntarily withdrawn as it appears @Sandon is at the top of his game. With but a few masterful strokes on the keyboard he continues to greatly jeopardize his Newbie status.) 🤣

Not to belabor the matter any more than necessary, but the 20-Francs gold coins dated 1914 were minted in 1921. The 20-Francs gold rooster, the last in the series which produced eleven (11) different types, was demonetized on June 25, 1928. The 100 Francs gold Bazor was minted somewhat haphazardly from 1929 to 1936. Only nine (9) were minted in 1929; prototypes of unspecified numbers in 1930,1931, 1932 and 1934; roughly 6.1 million minted in 1935 and 7.7 million in 1936 for a grand total of 13.8 million pieces. According to the latest copy of Monnaies Francaises (the French Red Book, 2021 ) prices, presumably in €, run from 1000 to 35,000 in the highest Mint State grades (FDC). For the record... the earliest 100 Francs gold Napoleon III minted from 1855 to 1859 were 90% gold, weighed 32.25 g with a 35 mm diameter, and again with minor changes from 1862 to 1870 with the same specs. Off and on from 1878 to 1914, France continued to produce 90% gold 100 Francs, Genie, with the same specs. 🐓

[Malheureusement, Chat Board Guidelines preclude my answer as to why in the manner in which I have become accustomed. Suffice it to say the lay of the land, unimproved roads, primitive ground transportation and law enforcement, non-existent on the Federal level, would all have to be considered for an understanding of an undertaking of this magnitude, in the remote Northwest on the cusp of the 20th century. Great find!

You're in good company. Anecdotally, it seems Apple has won over the college-age crowd as well as all the writers and researchers in the NYPL's two enormous reading rooms on the second floor. I am the only person I know with a talk 'n' text only cell. (This comment courtesy of my wife's antique [Gen Negative 3] android].

PTCSD, huh? I've made only two errors. Hardly enough to develop a stress disorder over. Briefly (in case the Great z is watching) I bought a French 20-franc gold rooster from a highly-regarded firm in France. An FDC (fleur de coin) to be exact with no other expectation than it would fit neatly into that "grade" which embraces the entire range of grades from MS-65 to MS-70 here in the U.S. In my mind's eye, it was unquestionably an MS-68 though it did not matter if were an MS-67, MS-66 or an MS-65. This was early on, pre-upgrading. I submitted it among a bevy of others to a high-profile TPGS, with cash (an available option) with not a care in the world. I was informed via e-mail the results were in and I could access them as well as the photos taken of them. Cavalierly, I tossed that courtesy aside. After all, there are FIVE grades involved, any one of which, then, would have been satisfactory to me. I received the shipment, opened the package saving the one that meant everything to me, last. It bore an insert that read MS-64+. As Clint Eastwood would say, "mah-ve-lous." The other error was purchasing, sight-unseen, an MS-67 example encapsulated by one TPGS and having it forwarded by the seller directly to another -- straight-away, without examining it first. I received a courtesy call: "it failed to cross." No Sale. I vowed I would take anything for granted. Now, having completed my short set of Restrikes in a solid MS-66 line, The French Corsican Connection" collection, I have devoted all my time to maintaining my # 1 rank on the West coast. In a disgraceful arrogant way, I decided I don't need to learn anything more than what I already know beyond posting rewards and bribing owners of West Coast gold roosters already graded MS-67 to cement my # 1 ranking. All I need is one, and I'm done. My feeling is if you need professional legal or medical advice, you go see a doctor or lawyer. For coins, I submit. I figure that's what they get paid to do... all the thinking for you. The only thing I'm running out of right now is time -- and patience. And I don't like to be kept waiting.

[This may seem odd coming from the likes of me, but I feel we are not being particularly welcoming to a newcomer with both the tone and terms we use. Bear in mind, for some, simply jumping into a thread is a courageous act and if newcomers are bum-rushed by ambush, it will create a chilling effect. That person will not feel encouraged to return. We need to ramp up optimism and tamp down on pejorative terminology like "worthless," where a simple "no added value" will do. After all, we're all friends here. And some are newer to the hobby than others. More honey, less vinegar. IMHO]

Submission, in addition to the reasons set forth above, would be indicated if only to put to rest all the speculation regarding the actual condition, and possible cause of the conditions alluded to, but some properly taken photos with adequate lighting and minus shadows, posted here, will enable experienced viewers to weigh in conclusively and ought to be the first order of business.

Looks quite nice but you are probably going to be asked to exhume the coin and provide more helpful close-ups of the two sides and the pitting you see. (They are not plainly visible as presented.)

Me neither. Sounds a whole lot better than I simply cannot afford them. 🤣

One way to settle matters like this apparent trick, right quick, is to establish our own version of the U.K.'s "Trial of the Pyx," described as a judicial ceremony comprised of metallurgical assayers convened to insure Royal Mint products conform to their dimensional and fineness specifications. Unsolicited entirely gratuitous editorial comment... I readily admit I have bupkes to substantiate the following admittedly baseless assertion, but my feeling is this Omega Man is a tag artist, no different from Taki 183 or Sane Smith. The coins in question are genuine and merely embellished with the artist's "Omega Man Was Here"-mark. Career Counterfeiters do not feel compelled to distinguish their work from the works of others. Unlike a professional engraver who leaves his initials on a work he created, Omega Man is content to simply leave his mark to confirm his existence.

Back on Track ®️

Commentary... if you get in on the ground floor and ordain yourself an "exhibitor" for life, you don't run into any walls -- because there are none. Types, dates, grades are of no moment. You have the luxury of moving on, because you can. Upgrades are irrelevant because nothing stops the inevitable progression. I am a certified slave. I have limited choices. There is only one way to go: up and forward. I can choose to revel in the comparative comfort of collecting common coins or jump into the fray, take the bull by the horns and assemble a compilation of the finest coins available in a series and, if I hit a wall, lie in wait for my prey or, if I get restless, do what all the oil tycoons and robber barons have done: take the initiative and offer bribes and rewards. I do not enjoy the luxury of having unlimited time. I am razor-focused on my goal and breaching that wall by any means necessary. You will know I located my prey when you log-in one day and find another topic, entitled: "Outta Here."

You become an indentured servant like me.

I agree! So valuable and not a bit arcane has the information compiled on the thread become that, if memory serves, member @GoldFinger1969 personally interceded and implored the Website Coordinator to authorize a variance exempting the entire thread from deletion on account of any perceived misbehavior on the part of unruly members. I don't recall his eliciting a response, but it appears he prevailed. (Just to be on the safe side, I believe he has "saved" the thread in its entirety.) As noted elsewhere, the Grand Master and Numismatist of the Year has racked up over 20,000 posts on his writing odometer, a most remarkable achievement!

I realize there are members on this Forum who would not have any objection to this and "embellishments" far more intrusive than this arguing if it were a common date, no real "harm" was done. I don't know how members whose opinions I am bound to respect by Guidelines -- or Law, stand on this matter, but in the event the Great z or Moderators may be looking on, I will state, Nay, without further explanation or justification.

I learned a long, long time ago, that there's no accounting for peoples' tastes. How would you like to have a toilet made of solid gold? It's there either in the record books or on Google. I respectfully disagree with those who would seek to have the coins embedded or glued pried loose. They are damaged and I seriously doubt any chosen for "display" were based on their numismatic value. Just as there is a universally accepted standard for unattractive men for an equally physically undesirable female.counterparts, it is a given there is a demand out there somewhere for such a throne. In point of fact, I have no opinion on the matter.

[Maybe so, but it took me months to figure out what the spelling of the term was and try to remember where I last saw it. Besides, No Way would any Moderator allow me to use a suggestive term like that, likely unfamiliar to most members, on this conservative, family-friendly Forum.] 🤣

Probably the first-- and last -- time an explanation point appeared on official government correspondence... and it looks like a standard period was used with a home-made antenna. I wonder what prompted the attorney to ask and how the exchange of correspondence between a Midwest state and an agency of the Federal Government was accomplished in just two days. Maybe this was the first test-run done by the Wright brothers. Would not the attorney's letter be included with the acting Mint director's reply to provide context? (Strictly rhetorical, Roger... carry on.)

This is by far the most unfortunate comment ever to appear on this Forum in close to five years. 🤣 To my many detractors, army of ignorers and untold number of members of every stripe who have fled the premises to parts unknown solely on my account, please take note of the poster's unfamiliarity with me, irrespective of User Name used. There are, of course, the notorious Nine who shall continue to laugh, uncontrollably and uproariously, at the very thought that anyone could ascribe credibility on my part. Trust me, I've changed. To the OP: Back on Track! To Moderation: Thank you and carry on gentlemen.

I see. Would it be safe to say that had you been afflicted with Set Registry Syndrome, for which there is presently no known cure short of compilation of a superlative Set to completion, that alone would be sufficient to alter, if not curb, your spending pattern? Or have you acquired the skill set required to distinguish the infinitesimal differences among the highest Mint State grades?

ACCOLATED! For the benefit of hobbyists who are partial to commemoratives which feature what I call double-portraiture, hereinabove, the formal, numismatic term as defined by Stacks Bowers: "Overlapped impression, as with two or more portraits on the face of a coin. The 1900 Lafayette commemorative silver dollar bears the accolated portraits of Washington and Lafayette. (My thanks to @leeg for his fellow members' polling on commemorative favorites, and touching accolade for the Grand Master @RWB also honored as Numismatist of the Year.)

Very respectable color and grade! (Nice prongs, too!) 🤣