ANA World's Fair of Money now officialy canceled 1 1

[Henri Charriere]

1 hour ago, RWB said:

This, combined with the idiotic idea that coins have to be "graded" by some TPG - at an extorted price - to be "desirable," only pushes the hobby closer to oblivion.

For those unwilling to broach this seemingly taboo topic, permit me to answer. (As Popeye the Sailor from the early 1930s cartoon series would growl: "Whatcha got? Whatcha g-o-t?")  TPGS -- which I had vowed I would never use (and hadn't until last year) -- do provide a needed service. As to whether they are extortionate hinges on our complicity and acceptance of the product. Our learned colleague VKurtB maintains (as elsewhere addressed) that pricing is dependent on the accommodation each side is willing to make in a negotiated transaction.  Hence, Make An Offer could quickly descend into a No Sale and the product quietly being withdrawn from sale for another time.  I have had violent objections with grade assignments. Who hasn't.  But a recent survey indicating the threshold amount collectors would be willing to pay for a raw, uncertified product, up to $50., has gotten me to thinking. Do I really want to be burdened with intricate descriptions, detailed photography and the use of ever-present somewhat anti-social threats of "No Returns-All Sales Final?"  If I am subject to something in a non-discriminatory manner, it's something I can live with. It goes with the territory.

[VKurtB]

On 7/25/2020 at 6:55 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

the U.S. Mint selling out of a product they know, or should have known, was wildly popular with collectors in just two hours

Which one are you referring to? There are worse examples, you know. The Eisenhower Coin and Chronicles set sold out in under 4 minutes, in August of 2015.

[Henri Charriere]

1 hour ago, VKurtB said:

Which one are you referring to? There are worse examples, you know. The Eisenhower Coin and Chronicles set sold out in under 4 minutes, in August of 2015.

Honestly, I no longer recall. I wasn't buying, but the backlash from collectors was undeniable and memorable. Never heard of the Eisenhower affair and don't know what to make of it beyond dismissing it as an apparently willfully manufactured rarity.