Henri Charriere

MODERATORS ! ! ! THERE APPEARS TO BE SOME DISSENSION IN THE RANKS EMANATING FROM A GENTLEMAN OF SUBSTANCE WHOSE JUDGMENT I AM BOUND TO RESPECT. ACCORDINGLY, I IMPLORE YOU TO DO YOUR DUTY AND SCRATCH THIS TOPIC, ENTRAILS AND ALL, AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE. YOUR HUMBLE AND OBEDIENT SERVANT, HENRI CHARRIERE, a/k/a "Rising Star"

(See my latest Topic entitled "eBay invite." I challenged five different Rooster sellers and apparently eBay took note, and even invited me to join a discussion group on ways to improve the site. Two things primarily, get my goat: listing an uncertified gold coin at multiple times its FMV. I may be only a voice in the crowd but if there is anyone else on this Forum, or any other that knows more about the 16-coin series, he hasn't spoken up. I do what I can.)

Congratulations on your 700th post! There are an awful lot of extraordinary examples posted here which cannot be easily accessed elsewhere. And thanks to @Buffalo Head for the fine assist! Great thread!

As you may be aware, two blue-ribbon committees are presently reviewing a proposal to re-issue classic coins in observance of the country's 250th anniversary in 2026. If it were up to me, I would have included an example of your piece. Unfortunately, their vision does not appear to jibe with mine. Shortcomings aside, it is a mighty fine piece any collector would be proud to own.

Handwriting analysis is an art; graphology is a science and fortune-telling, ideally, is a form of entertainment. We subconsciously judge people by the dogs they own. In the same vein, one judges a person by the company he keeps. Is it possible to judge a member by the member(s) he follows? How about the coins he chooses to collect? Is there a Set Registrant syndrome that appeals to certain types? I started out the same way other members have, collecting common circulating coins from change. I do not believe I went any further defaulting to acquiring Proof and Uncirculated sets directly from the Mint after silver was withdrawn from circulation, and then stopping out altogether. How about you? Have you ever thought about the impression your coin collecting activities may have on others? What got you started, and how has your collecting evolved? Any interesting anecdotes regarding specific acquisitions? Feel free to share them here if you wish to.

This is an outstanding post. I once brought up what you refer to as "ancillary costs," but coin collecting runs the gamut between the hobbyist who is simply content with what happens to strike his fancy to the Great Blue Whales who amass once-in-a-lifetime collections. Our frequent flyer globe trotting rough rider claims any acquisitions are serendipitous and incidental to his travels.

(Another "High-Wire" MCMVII Saint slated for auction at HA shortly...)

Note: The presence of The Hand ✋️ suggests the member is a relative newcomer deserving of a more accommodating courteous and deferential approach.

UNADORNED FACTS... 1. THE ENCAPSULATION OF A COIN, PROPERLY GRADED AND STORED, HAS NEVER LOWERED ITS FAIR MARKET VALUE; 2. THE SO-CALLED RAW COIN, HOWEVER PROTECTED, by a 2 X 2 OR FLIP, WILL LIKELY BE MORE PRONE TO TOUCHING, IMPROPER FONDLING, POSSIBLE EXPOSURE TO INADVERTENT "DAMAGE" DUE TO ACCIDENTAL SLIPS, FALLS, COLLISIONS AND EXPOSURE TO KNOWN AND UNKNOWN ELEMENTS, SOME WITH KNOWN DELETERIOUS EFFECTS, OTHERS WITH UNCLEAR, UNKNOWABLE OR UNFORSEEABLE EFFECTS. *** A RAW COIN REQUIRES REPEATED EXAMINATION, RE-EXAMINATIONS, EXPLANATIONS AND ENDLESS DISCUSSION. ONE SIDE DISPLAYS A STRONG STRIKE; THE OTHER MAY BE IMPAIRED. THE RAW COIN, BY VIRTUE OF ITS UNKNOWN OR RUMORED PROVENANCE, IS SUBJECT TO ENDLESS SPECULATION. (One might purchase an automobile based on make, model, year and mileage -- even a test drive -- but one wouldn't really know what one has until he takes it in for a diagnostic examination by a licensed mechanic.) THE ENCAPSULATED COIN SUFFERS NO SUCH INQUIRY. ITS LATEST OWNERS ARE FREE TO SAY, "IF IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR A DISCRIMINATING COLLECTOR, LIKE A PARTRICK [OR AN ARRIUS 🤣] IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. IT'S BEEN FAWNED OVER, AUTHENTICATED, GRADED, CERTIFIED AND ENCAPSULATED, SOME WITH A CAC OR SIMILAR GOOD HOUSEKEEPING SEAL OF APPROVAL.

I am not sure what my thinking on this is supposed to be. Seeing as how @VKurtB eschews the internet for personal in-person, in-hand inspections at coin shows, I am going to wait for him to weigh in. I cannot speak on something I have no first-hand knowledge of. My thanks to Moderation for allowing me to express my thoughts freely.

FWIW... I have been reviewing in my mind a locale few were apparently acquainted with -- the American Numismatic Society, founded in 1858 for the appreciation of numismatics -- until they decided to move a few years ago in the dead of night, from the heart of midtown Manhattan to the far West Side. A paper of record covered it because of the extraordinary security measures they employed and a total news black-out on the hours-long transfer of unique, seldom seen, numismatica. I read the entire fascinating story in the paper and one item piqued my interest: a rare Lydian electrum circa 600 B.C., one of the world's first coins, which was produced in my father's country [Turkey] which was recently officially re-named Turkiye. A friend, possibly my wife, accompanied me. We were greeted like unexpected intruders. Our sole purpose was to be afforded a glimpse of the coin. Our photos were taken as were our government-issued ID cards, to no avail. The entire procedure should have taken no longer than it takes a person to identify a loved one at the morgue. THERE WAS NO ADMISSION FEE. Instead, we were asked to become members. Membership was a standard $50. Bear in mind, they do not sell anything. Recently, a number of pieces were auctioned off elsewhere and I had to be content with viewing those lots via the internet. I can recall visiting the Chase Manhattan Museum of Money for free when I was a teenager in the 1960's. The holdings of the ANS are substantial, but they may have as well been held in an oversized safety deposit box. Now, would you have been okay with forking over a significant amount of money simply to view a single coin? If I get word the NYINC may have one of the coins I seek this January, I will gladly pay the paltry $20 fee. As a senior who lives uptown, I save on transportation (with a half-fare MetroCard) and lodgings. I can live with the exorbitant nearly 9% sales tax because I will avoid a bank wire transfer, USD to euro conversion fees, insured shipping costs, postage and an ever-present threat of a seizure by Customs for ransom.

I can assure you I do not have it. 🤣

Very lovely piece!

I believe Answers 2 and 3 can be safely dispensed with. Fully automatic vending machines were not introduced until 1867 [and no one would dare insert a scrawny eagle into one decades later]. As for improper cleaning, etc., however well-intentioned, the general idea is to improve the appearance of a coin, not mutilate it. What I probably should have done is wait to see what the early returns look like. With @Sandon weighing in, and knowing no one in their right mind would attempt to contradict him -- indeed, other members appear to agree with him in a landslide, thats your answer. Now, if the damage were inflicted intentionally, no effort should be spared to bring the perpetrator to justice.

Bottom line: those who object to an admission fee outvote those who don't, two to one. Since I do not attend coin shows and it appears highly unlikely I ever will, I will yield to Messrs. @VKurtB and @zadok and let them do all the thinking and talking around here for me. They have a better grasp of the subject matter at hand.

Well, in all fairness, we're talking about being around well-oiled heavy machinery, toiling in an at-times stifling, oppressively hot atmosphere with limited air circulation amid non-stop pounding vs. cleaning women wielding feather dusters in sedate offices. Probably prefer a crew of "get-er-done" types to get the job done. 🤣

If the recovery years ago of the so-called Dead Sea Scrolls is any indication, the ideal storage environment would be a dry, clay vessel in a climate-controlled space. And papyrus is a lot more delicate than metals. The only other ideal environments are down in the depths of the Black Sea or the surface of the moon -- both devoid of oxygen.

Welcome to the Forum! As a new member -- a hatchling or newbie [clue: The Waving Hand under your User Name] -- I believe this is the first time I have seen anyone jump in with a question about a finished product as opposed to one that is raw and questionable in appearance. I would imagine you have spent a good piece of change for this and it appears its owl motif was it's primary draw. Some members will expect that you have already researched the item you've chose to buy and display; others, most notable the walking encyclopedias among us, will refer you to the appropriate resources. I like your coin and am impressed it's been authenticated with a desirable grade. As what are termed, "Ancients," is not my area of familiarity, I would urge you to begin to delve into the various reference sources NGC makes available on its web page whilst waiting on members to weigh in with the specifics regarding your purchase. Very lovely acquisition!

I cannot wait to see what @VKurtB has to say about this. Was not he the same gentleman who opined those who complained about parking fees at coin shows ought to keep things in "perspective."? 🤣

To my knowledge, COSTCO charges a $60. membership fee.

Funny how I got the same query when I posted my "OFF-TOPIC" thread. Member Mark Feld pointedly stated, the fact I posted off-topic content on it, doesn't make it any less so. My intentions were honorable: why risk derailing a legitimate thread, when combatants can simply agree to disagree elsewhere... on an Off-Topic thread. (The Off-Topic topic thread was taken down w/o notice or fanfare.) I take full responsibility for Mark Feld's reduced presence on this Forum as well as the departure of Oldhoopster whose classic "Outta Here" post has no equal. I fondly recall his refusal to formally ignore me and, in the heat of the moment, his responding animatedly to a comment from Ricky the Rooster, a figment of my imagination. I was banished to Siberia on a disciplinary transfer but remain NGC's # 1 fan.

Very creative people. They fall in very nicely with all the people who created stuff no one knew they had to have. Raw is for the common, little people with no imagination. If you accept things in their natural state, these folks will shame you into feeling you are a back-pedaling four-flusher unless you have the newest, the latest, the greatest thing since sliced bread. Why isn't this slabbed? Why, isn't this stickered? No, you can't do that! Follow the procedure! First you have to submit it, your choice of TPGS and sarcophagus, and then get the sticker! Or you can skip the piecemeal approach and send it using one-stop shopping to one of the industry's giants, CMQ. "But I'm just one of the little people," you protest! "I just collect coins." YOU ARE OBSOLETE! Better get with it! Nobody does things that way anymore. Ah, the Trials and Tribulations of the once humble coin collector.

As most of the civilized world knows, I have been on the hunt for the highest-graded French 20-franc gold roosters for the past five years. My unending quest (some say, obsession) has had me engaged with numismatic concerns that use search engines which leave much to be desired, hence the longevity of my hunt. Recently, I decided to use my knowledge of my series, Roosters, to confront those who do not wish to embrace the symbiotic approach to selling. Departures from the norm are easy to spot. Two examples are instructive: asking two, three, even four times the FMV of an uncertified, ungraded coin, coupled with a "No Returns Accepted!" policy. This can spell disaster for the inattentive buyer taken in by apparently highly-rated reviews and glowing descriptions of the merchandise being offered which is very often compounded with an unfamiliarity with terms used and transactions conducted internationally. I have effectively immobilized five different sellers with a few simple, though critical, questions. Sellers who aren't accustomed to being confronted by my seemingly low-key style characterize my questions as "harassment." I am considerate enough to tell them why they will fail to make a sale and inevitably withdraw their listing. Apparently, eBay took notice and invited me to join a discussion group, very likely the same one that resulted to changes in their reporting procedure. They must have liked the line I used on one scam artist who, content to give me guff and then couldn't recall doing so only hours later in an exchange, resulted in my assertion that it was precisely people like him that discouraged eBay from doing business with coin hobbyists. No legitimate platform wants to be an unwitting accomplice or conduit to those whose intent is to deceive the public. A member elsewhere on the Forum stated, correctly, that sellers can ask whatever price they want, but my feeling is if you are insisting on being paid a fixed, clearly exorbitant price on a common, uncertified coin -- with a No Returns Accepted policy, you ought to be prepared to substantiate your extenuating circumstances with a reasonable explanation to my reasonable questions. If it were within my power, I would reimburse every member who had ever been taken advantage of by fly-by-nite hucksters.

This assertion, on its face, is suspect. You've come out with some fairly outrageous statements before, unchallenged, but this one deserves further scrutiny. Since there are records which meticulously reflect the changes in gold price going back several millennia, I am going all-in by upping the ante. Recognizing my reputation lies in tatters and my credibility is shot, I will pose, with Moderation's indulgence, a single question: To the best of your recollection, what year or years were you able to "purchase" a twenty-dollar gold piece for face value? If I have overstepped the bounds of professional propriety, I shall surrender my Rising Star status and surrender my commission, forthwith.

I know nothing about furniture-making trade but would assume the trace vapors of stains or lacquers -- or even formaldehyde would be a concern. It is of little comfort to find a notice in a brand-new oak filing cabinet advising it be kept in a well-ventilated area due to a chemical or resin that had been found to cause cancer as detailed in Proposition X, State of California.