regular wear or cleaned? 1 1

[Henri Charriere]

11 hours ago, CajunJosh said:

This is a three dollar, by the way. 

[My earlier comment has disappeared.  About the only thing we can say is the likelihood we are talking about is an 1870-S is so unlikely its register on the Richter scale is imperceptible.  No matter, I like the coin and look forward to hearing the autopsy report.]

[zadok]

1 hour ago, Quintus Arrius said:

Lack of confidence in the mails, inability to part with their comfort coin however briefly, and one I understand: experiencing the cold heft of history in the palm of your hand. However, now that I have joined a cult that requires encapsulation as a religious prerequisite, I have little choice in the matter.  Your observation regarding the auctioning off of abandoned safe deposit boxes may very well be the key to solving any number of mysteries regarding the unavailability of coins we know were minted but are nowhere to be found particularly in the upper-tier grades.  I am going to have to make some inquiries. Many thanks my friend!

those plus a couple others......(1) anonymity, i have some rare pedigreed unslabbed condition census coins that i want to keep that way, slabbing creates an audit trail as does registry sets, these coins r off the market n will probably stay that way for a few decades at least n i prefer to keep it that way...their rarity will not diminish n their infrequent appearance availability wont decrease their value...im not adverse to slabbing or registry sets, i have 30+ sets now, but those coins i dont really care if anyone knows where they r, but some of my others i do...holding coins in my hands that eliasberg, norweb, garret, menjou, brand, bareford et al  held in theirs is satisfaction enuf, i have no need to publicize that...for example if my collection happens to holds a '07 uhr or a '27-d saint its no one else's concern, just the fact that they exist is all that matters, their whereabouts isnt relevant...(2) fear, there r those that possess certain coins that r reluctant to have them certified...they either know that their coins wont certify n grade at the grade they want them to be or r afraid to find out...im aware of some highly pedigreed n exceptional coins that r not certified n their owners know that the coins will almost certainly be classified as details if submitted or fear so, so its better to just minimize tpg than take the chance...and of course the reasons u previously gave, confidence in the mails n the loneliness of being without ur favorite rooster while hes gone.....

[zadok]

2 hours ago, Quintus Arrius said:

Lack of confidence in the mails, inability to part with their comfort coin however briefly, and one I understand: experiencing the cold heft of history in the palm of your hand. However, now that I have joined a cult that requires encapsulation as a religious prerequisite, I have little choice in the matter.  Your observation regarding the auctioning off of abandoned safe deposit boxes may very well be the key to solving any number of mysteries regarding the unavailability of coins we know were minted but are nowhere to be found particularly in the upper-tier grades.  I am going to have to make some inquiries. Many thanks my friend!

oh yea forgot...thanks for the back spacing, my elbow slipped.......on a more serious note, i dont know what u consider a hoard number wise, but i have often seen in those deposit box sales rolls of foreign gold coins usually sovereign size coins,  swiss 20 francs, french 20 francs, austrian 20 coronas, german 20 marks, danish 20 kronor etc.....apparently the gold coin size of choice, suspect mostly saved during fdr's idiotic edicts....whether these mini-hoards can or will affect numismatic values apparently remains to be seen, but just one thought to keep u awake at nite, if im seeing these many at the abandoned box sales wonder how many remain in the unabandoned boxes???...

[VKurtB]

35 minutes ago, zadok said:

oh yea forgot...thanks for the back spacing, my elbow slipped.......on a more serious note, i dont know what u consider a hoard number wise, but i have often seen in those deposit box sales rolls of foreign gold coins usually sovereign size coins,  swiss 20 francs, french 20 francs, austrian 20 coronas, german 20 marks, danish 20 kronor etc.....apparently the gold coin size of choice, suspect mostly saved during fdr's idiotic edicts....whether these mini-hoards can or will affect numismatic values apparently remains to be seen, but just one thought to keep u awake at nite, if im seeing these many at the abandoned box sales wonder how many remain in the unabandoned boxes???...

... and the 4 dollar Stellas were an attempt to make an "equivalent" of all those European 20's. Very nearly so. I once spoke with a specialist who said that 3 dollar gold coins are the most likely to be counterfeits. He claimed there are many times more fake ones than real ones. I hope our OP's beats that trend. At least the fakes are mostly actual gold. 

Edited May 4, 2021 by VKurtB

[Henri Charriere]

@zadokI understand perfectly.  My sister, about my age, going on 70, takes your concerns to an extreme forbidding me to speak to her over the phone, telling me I am totally nuts for using Google (as opposed to Duckduckgo, or some such search engine) and questioning my sanity when I recently stumbled unto Facebook and shared with them some of the most intimate details of my life. She said, "Are you crazy?" I responded, "What could possibly be of interest to others concerning an old geezer like me?"  I am content. I am vaguely aware of the problems posed by those who pass away intestate but that is precisely why the late Jimmy Breslin kept harping on how the various Public Adminisrators of the five boroughs of New York made out like robber bandits with lack of city oversight.  I am sure your holdings give you great satisfaction (as does my comparatively meager collection) with the only excitement coming with unexpected news of a suitable upgrade.

[zadok]

12 minutes ago, VKurtB said:

... and the 4 dollar Stellas were an attempt to make an "equivalent" of all those European 20's. Very nearly so. I once spoke with a specialist who said that 3 dollar gold coins are the most likely to be counterfeits. He claimed there are many times more fake ones than real ones. I hope our OP's beats that trend. At least the fakes are mostly actual gold. 

correctamundo..... the $3 was widely faked in the mediterranean n middle east areas for years before the chinese got involved...it was unfamiliar to us tourists n they werent knowledgeable enuf to recognize the fakes n thought they were getting a steal....

[Henri Charriere]

1 hour ago, VKurtB said:

... and the 4 dollar Stellas were an attempt to make an "equivalent" of all those European 20's. Very nearly so. I once spoke with a specialist who said that 3 dollar gold coins are the most likely to be counterfeits. He claimed there are many times more fake ones than real ones. I hope our OP's beats that trend. At least the fakes are mostly actual gold. 

VKurtB!  What a pleasant surprise!  Always a pleasure to hear from you. I believe some of the commentators were being cautiously circumspect. Sometimes there are members who play things close to the chest, feed you insufficient information with an eyedropper and otherwise try to avoid being transparent.  I guess we'll all just have to see what happens. (Incidentally, I was sorry to hear about the severe weather and lack of roadside stands.)

[MarkFeld]

22 minutes ago, Quintus Arrius said:

VKurtB!  What a pleasant surprise!  Always a pleasure to hear from you. I believe some of the commentators were being cautiously circumspect. Sometimes there are members who play things close to the chest, feed you insufficient information with an eyedropper and otherwise try to avoid being transparent.  I guess we'll all just have to see what happens. (Incidentally, I was sorry to hear about the severe weather and lack of roadside stands.)

Why don't you tell us who those "commentators" were? And how they were "playing things close to the chest" (instead of "vest") and feeding "insufficient information with an eyedropper and otherwise try to avoid being transparent"?

[Henri Charriere]

1 hour ago, MarkFeld said:

Why don't you tell us who those "commentators" were? And how they were "playing things close to the chest" (instead of "vest") and feeding "insufficient information with an eyedropper and otherwise try to avoid being transparent"?

It appears to be my great misfortune and duty to contradict a seasoned veteran's assertion that "most everyone," including highly respected prominent members, choose to ignore what this rank amateur and unlicensed chiffonnier has to say.

Buy I digress. Through no fault of his own, the OP chose not to share the coin's date, mintmark, denomination and photos of the reverse and edge and only volunteered the purchase price when asked. We still do not know the precise circumstances under which the purchase was made or any representations that were made to him at the p.o.s. regarding its condition.

Coincidentally, on a thread paralleling this one in time, Spud posted a crystal clear photo of both the obverse and reverse sides of his three-dollar specimen.  I renounce any suggestion I am an expert on gold -- or that my eyesight is so poor that the only inescapable conclusion one can arrive at is one coin's color appears to be natural while the other's does not.

For whatever reason, commentators have chosen to shroud their words inoffensively with vague references to inadvertent damage, while ignoring the elephant in the room:  unnatural color and ultimately questionable authenticity.

I am familiar with buyer's and seller's regret, as well as hazards native to the volatile environment of procrastination.  Here we have what may very well turn out to be "submitter's" regret: failure to solicit informed advice prior to certification.  Before anyone says another word, I suggest he compare the photos submitted by the OP with those submitted today by member Spud on the "Post your latest acquisitions - US" thread, and then state the all but obvious conclusion:  Not that this relic is unlikely to be an 1870-S but the preponderance of the evidence produced thus far strongly suggests the scratches prelude it from grading and, more importantly, this mass of presumably precious metal is a reasonably good copy of a genuine rare coin.  The OP claims he is covered, so no harm is done. In addition, I have pored through the progression of comments made and found none that approaches member VKurtB's "I'd rather be right than nice" brashness and unapologetic directness.

[VKurtB]

2 hours ago, Quintus Arrius said:

VKurtB!  What a pleasant surprise!  Always a pleasure to hear from you. I believe some of the commentators were being cautiously circumspect. Sometimes there are members who play things close to the chest, feed you insufficient information with an eyedropper and otherwise try to avoid being transparent.  I guess we'll all just have to see what happens. (Incidentally, I was sorry to hear about the severe weather and lack of roadside stands.)

Northern Alabama south of Huntsville does have its charms, the quality of the average driver’s skills not being among them. I’ve never been anywhere with this many hyper aggressive drivers, and I’ve driven throughout New Jersey. No wonder every other ad on TV is for ambulance chasing lawyers. Today has been and this evening will be tough going weather-wise, with a tornado warning already declared. The people are really nice, once they get out from behind the wheel. And the food is top notch, both the downscale and the more upscale. These folk know how to barbecue meats. 

Edited May 4, 2021 by VKurtB

[VKurtB]

2 hours ago, MarkFeld said:

Why don't you tell us who those "commentators" were? And how they were "playing things close to the chest" (instead of "vest") and feeding "insufficient information with an eyedropper and otherwise try to avoid being transparent"?

Mark, the English, from whom most of these sorts of sayings originate, use “chest”, not “vest”.

[MarkFeld]

30 minutes ago, VKurtB said:

Mark, the English, from whom most of these sorts of sayings originate, use “chest”, not “vest”.

Thank you and in reality, the vest is usually close to the chest. 😉

[VKurtB]

22 minutes ago, MarkFeld said:

Thank you and in reality, the vest is usually close to the chest. 😉

Yes, when worn as directed. But the English use the language sloppily. As was pointed out on the Apple TV series, Ted Lasso, while an American could be fired while putting his cleats in the trunk of his car, an Englishman would be given the boot while putting his boots in the boot. 

Edited May 4, 2021 by VKurtB

[zadok]

..."he plays the game of life with a smiling face, but with his cards close to his vest buttons...." william allen white, mclure's magazine, vol 26, number 2, pg 125.....origin 1905

 

"i ain't a sayin' , pardner, that it ain't all fer the best...though some of us ain't natural without cards close to the vest....paraphrased, williams arizona news, april 6, 1907...

 

now we all know, n doesnt have damn thing to do with coins.....

 

 

[Henri Charriere]

7 hours ago, MarkFeld said:

Why don't you tell us who those "commentators" were? And how they were "playing things close to the chest" (instead of "vest") and feeding "insufficient information with an eyedropper and otherwise try to avoid being transparent"?

[I sense a bit of latent hostility here which only reminds me of the oft-misquoted playwright's line:  "Music has charms to soothe the savage 'breast'..." rendered most often as "beast." - Wm. Congreve]

[Henri Charriere]

On 5/3/2021 at 12:26 PM, Coinbuf said:

QA will say anything just to get some attention as most here ignore what he has to say.

What you may not be aware of is most of my published comments are moderated with ferocity.  Whole sections are frozen for later review, delayed, deleted, or zapped in their entirety.  The Guideline rules do not expressly forbid this.  I was sent to bed without supper (or dinner, depending on where you live) my chief crime being failure to inquire as to the specifics of a WARNING.  I attribute it to simple cowardice. Funny how an unlicensed chiffonnier, retired (which sounds a whole better than unemployed or senior citizen) spent an entire lifetime furnishing cheap apartments from end-of-semester Columbia University dorm students (my wife forbids me to do that now) and managed to put together a collection of 🐓 🐓 🐓 most coin collectors,, including me never even knew existed. Those who ignore me choose to do so at their own peril:  they are dying (literally, chomping at the bit) to respond to commentary I have posted, painfully aware they are unable to do so. Called out on his indiscretion, one member felt compelled to apologize to moi for "accidentally" responding to a comment I had made posted by another.  Man, I love this place!

[Oldhoopster]

1 hour ago, Quintus Arrius said:

What you may not be aware of is most of my published comments are moderated with ferocity.  Whole sections are frozen for later review, delayed, deleted, or zapped in their entirety.  The Guideline rules do not expressly forbid this.  I was sent to bed without supper (or dinner, depending on where you live) my chief crime being failure to inquire as to the specifics of a WARNING.  I attribute it to simple cowardice. Funny how an unlicensed chiffonnier, retired (which sounds a whole better than unemployed or senior citizen) spent an entire lifetime furnishing cheap apartments from end-of-semester Columbia University dorm students (my wife forbids me to do that now) and managed to put together a collection of 🐓 🐓 🐓 most coin collectors,, including me never even knew existed. Those who ignore me choose to do so at their own peril:  they are dying (literally, chomping at the bit) to respond to commentary I have posted, painfully aware they are unable to do so. Called out on his indiscretion, one member felt compelled to apologize to moi for "accidentally" responding to a comment I had made posted by another.  Man, I love this place!

We all make mistakes, however I don't think I would keep bringing this up.  Sometimes best to let sleeping dogs lie.  Just my opinion.