Unsolicited comments 1 1

[Henri Charriere]

As a public service to the virtual army of lurkers out there wondering where ol' Q.A. stands on the latest numismatic developments unfolding with breath-taking speed out there, herewith my thoughts...

1.  Last year's Denver Mint theft of 182 "error" coins by an employee.  The Office of the Inspector General has released its report, but questions remain as to why the employee wasn't prosecuted and/or his employment terminated. Funny how an official report released by a watchdog agency raises more questions than it answers.

2.  King Charles III.  The official unveiling of his portrait reveals the Royal Mint has apparently made a colossal error:  His visage is a dead-ringer for FDR's on the dime. They are virtually indistinguishable. [First up circulating 50-penny coins and commemorative 5# crowns.]

3.  The new ten-dollar bill set for release on the nation's sestercentennial (2026).  A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to effect meaningful change has been squandered with a questionable, enhanced, raised tactile engraving. You kidding me?  Currency you can, ahem, feel? That's it?  Yup, Happy Anniversary!

That 1-oz. gold bullion coin from the Perth Mint commemorating the centennial of the discovery of King Tut's tomb... truth be told @cladking's got a shot at the Mint for unauthorized use [trademark infringement] of his avatar.  I got a greater thrill watching Steve Martin do his King Tut skit on SNL.

As to that new sawbuck slated for release in 2026, I'll quote here from our old stand-by, Shakespeare:  "You scullion!  You rampellian!  You fustilarian!  I'll tickle your catastrophe!"  My sentiments, exactly.  🐓 

Edited October 9, 2022 by Quintus Arrius
Additional info; embellishment of wordsmithing skills.

[Fenntucky Mike]

On 10/8/2022 at 7:49 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

Last year's Denver Mint theft of 182 "error" coins by an employee.  The Office of the Inspector General has released its report, but questions remain as to why the employee wasn't prosecuted and/or his employment terminated. Funny how an official report released by a watchdog agency raises more questions than it answers.

I must have missed this and now have a new verb for my numismatic vocabulary "kustered". I wonder if there will be any punishment, termination and/or charges, for the contracted vender employee who "gave" the coins to the mint employee?

On 10/8/2022 at 7:49 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

The new ten-dollar bill set for release on the nation's sestercentennial (2026).  A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to effect meaningful change has been squandered with a questionable, enhanced, raised tactile engraving. You kidding me?  Currency you can, ahem, feel? That's it?  Yup, Happy Anniversary!

Change at the BEP is slow, it took a lawsuit a decade of litigation and another ten years just to get raised textile features (RTF) on a banknote to be released in 2026. Twenty five years to get from point A to B. The new Catalyst series of notes is scheduled to start with the $10 in 2026 and with the $100 in 2034-38. No redesigns for the $1 and $2 notes, I think that includes RTF changes as well. For what it's worth the BEP went with intaglio printing for the application of RTFs on banknotes.

[Henri Charriere]

@Fenntucky Mike:

Any hint of punishment of any kind was assiduously avoided by the Inspector General's report.  I believe, departing from bureaucratese, this is colloquially known as getting off scot-free.  And yes, the word is "kustered," a fine example of which was displayed recently on another thread.

[Henri Charriere]

As the only member on the Forum to champion a return to old classic designs for U.S. coinage -- for one year only -- the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States in 1776, I introduced the term sestercentennial.  Venerable veteran and seasoned member, VKurtB, was not amused and expressed his displeasure bolstered by ridicule, to that effect. Comes now the latest line-up of proposed coinage designs which will take us right through 2026, only the occasion will not be marked by the term sestercentennial -- nor for that matter Quarter-Millennium or Bicenquinquayenary, or any others that may surface.

It seems the term adopted by a blue-ribbon committee authorized by an Act of Congress to review the matter has settled on SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL going so far as to include the term in its formal name.

To sum up, even though Wikipedia states Sestercentennial is the proper formal name, Congress has already decided otherwise.  I tell you, Kurt's got juice!  🤣

[cojoxo]

On 10/9/2022 at 6:49 AM, Henri Charriere said:

As a public service to the virtual army of lurkers out there wondering where ol' Q.A. stands on the latest numismatic developments unfolding with breath-taking speed out there, herewith my thoughts...

1.  Last year's Denver Mint theft of 182 "error" coins by an employee.  The Office of the Inspector General has released its report, but questions remain as to why the employee wasn't prosecuted and/or his employment terminated. Funny how an official report released by a watchdog agency raises more questions than it answers. black screen online

2.  King Charles III.  The official unveiling of his portrait reveals the Royal Mint has apparently made a colossal error:  His visage is a dead-ringer for FDR's on the dime. They are virtually indistinguishable. [First up circulating 50-penny coins and commemorative 5# crowns.]

3.  The new ten-dollar bill set for release on the nation's sestercentennial (2026).  A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to effect meaningful change has been squandered with a questionable, enhanced, raised tactile engraving. You kidding me?  Currency you can, ahem, feel? That's it?  Yup, Happy Anniversary!

That 1-oz. gold bullion coin from the Perth Mint commemorating the centennial of the discovery of King Tut's tomb... truth be told @cladking's got a shot at the Mint for unauthorized use [trademark infringement] of his avatar.  I got a greater thrill watching Steve Martin do his King Tut skit on SNL.

As to that new sawbuck slated for release in 2026, I'll quote here from our old stand-by, Shakespeare:  "You scullion!  You rampellian!  You fustilarian!  I'll tickle your catastrophe!"  My sentiments, exactly.  🐓 

How many coins did you leave there? I can start

[VKurtB]

On 10/25/2023 at 6:58 PM, Henri Charriere said:

As the only member on the Forum to champion a return to old classic designs for U.S. coinage -- for one year only -- the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States in 1776, I introduced the term sestercentennial.  Venerable veteran and seasoned member, VKurtB, was not amused and expressed his displeasure bolstered by ridicule, to that effect. Comes now the latest line-up of proposed coinage designs which will take us right through 2026, only the occasion will not be marked by the term sestercentennial -- nor for that matter Quarter-Millennium or Bicenquinquayenary, or any others that may surface.

It seems the term adopted by a blue-ribbon committee authorized by an Act of Congress to review the matter has settled on SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL going so far as to include the term in its formal name.

To sum up, even though Wikipedia states Sestercentennial is the proper formal name, Congress has already decided otherwise.  I tell you, Kurt's got juice!  🤣

Congress, Pennsylvania General Assembly, just tenant and landlord in the 1770’s and 1780’s.

[Henri Charriere]

With the OPs indulgence, I should like to suggest that members who wish to exhibit their wares on the Chat Board's most popular, long-running threads, do so with an eye toward positioning their numismatic possessions, whether horizontally or vertically, hewing ideally to a North-South, East West axis, with little or no die rotation.

[Henri Charriere]

 @EagleRJO :  Moderation is a very sensitive topic. Put yourself, if you will, in their place.  Outright violations can easily be dispensed with.  But what about the member who comments on virtually everything giving rise to the appearance he is dominating the Board.  What if he hasn't technically violated the Guidelines, but many members, beyond the well-known mainstays, simply tire of his presence.  There are an array of tools Modineration can use to reign members in, stifle their creativity and ultimately discourage their presence.  The "log-in loophole" is one. Delayed posting is another.  Example: You write a comment, proofread it (a process I call die-polishing) press send, only to see it wiped off the map, parked on a spur which you make a mental note to retrieve later only to discover sometimes it's there, and sometimes it's not. The Website Coordinator once made a deliberate decision to retroactively review my contributions, find one she could take issue with, and use it as a pretext to show me the door. At some point, I changed my user handle, with permission, and re-invented myself restricting my interactions with emojis. I tried a different tack, several actually, reducing my presence on the Board, visiting other venues, avoiding "contentiousness" and finally suggesting Moderation simply block and delete posts they find objectionable. Right now, I am straddling an undefined border: serving at the pleasure of the Board.  Should I overstay my welcome, for a specific reason, or no reason at all, I'm gone, residing only in the institutional memory of others. Key point: NO APPEAL. That's it. No muss, no fuss.  The NGC juggernaut moves on.

[Henri Charriere]

The following comment was prompted by today's reply by RWB elsewhere regarding sculptors and metallic artists who felt mirror-like polish on medals for coins was "cheap and suitable only for tawdry tokens and baubles."

Reminded me of Walter Hoving, Tiffany's "no nonsense leader" (1955-1980) whose "uncompromising standards of taste" sharply fueled his company's increasing profits.

Examples:  he "refused to sell diamond rings for men, stock silver-plate -- or provide charge accounts to customers who had been rude to his employees."

He deemed the Hunt brothers' attempt to corner the silver market in the 1980's "unconscionable," as extreme a term he used rarely and only sparingly.

In reply to Pres. John F. Kennedy's request in 1962 for 32 Lucite calendar mementos to be presented to close aides who had worked with him on the [1961] Cuban missile crisis -- the precise wording varies with the sources consulted -- Mr. Having stated, in substance, "We don't do plastic."  (The order was later executed in Tiffany's signature silver.)  -from The New York Times' obituary, Nov. 28, 1989, as well as other sources.

[Posted at the discretion of Moderation.]

Edited January 19 by Henri Charriere
Correct spelling

[zadok]

On 1/18/2024 at 9:08 PM, Henri Charriere said:

The following comment was prompted by today's reply by RWB elsewhere regarding sculptors and metallic artists who felt mirror-like polish on medals for coins was "cheap and suitable only for tawdry tokens and baubles."

Reminded me of Walter Hoving, Tiffany's "no nonsense leader" (1955-1980) whose "uncompromising standards of taste" sharply fueled his company's increasing profits.

Examples:  he "refused to sell diamond rings for men, stock silver-plate -- or provide charge accounts to customers who had been rude to his employees."

He deemed the Hunt brothers' attempt to corner the silver market in the 1980's "unconscionable," as extreme a term he used rarely and only sparingly.

In reply to Pres. John F. Kennedy's request in 1962 for 32 Lucite calendar mementos to be presented to close aides who had worked with him on the [1961] Cuban missile crisis -- the precise wording varies with the sources consulted -- Mr. Having stated, in substance, "We don't do plastic."  (The order was later executed in Tiffany's signature silver.)  -from The New York Times' obituary, Nov. 28, 1989, as well as other sources.

[Posted at the discretion of Moderation.]

...and then he had to sell tiffany's to...wait for it, Avon...the cheap perfume in a bottle maker, impressive...at least its back in the classy world now, although owned by the french....

[Henri Charriere]

On 1/19/2024 at 4:54 PM, zadok said:

...and then he had to sell tiffany's to...wait for it, Avon...the cheap perfume in a bottle maker, impressive...at least its back in the classy world now, although owned by the french....

Relying solely on now receding memory, I believe Hoving's tenure and demise preceded Avon's acquisitions spree, but as always, defer to you -- and do so politely.  

[Henri Charriere]

Re:  Sn (tin) and the copper cent.

So as not to sully the fine research conducted by our Grand Master on his "tin in cents" thread posted elsewhere earlier today,  I believe allegations from a friend referring to me as a "tinhorn cowboy," are wholly unwarranted.  On the plus side as a self-described, [unlicensed] soothsayer from an [unaccredited mail-order correspondence school] I believe there may be a grain of truth that the "copper-coated" cent, as we now know it shall be obsolete before one of the next three presidents are out of office. (For the naysayers out there:  Sorry, but I will be long gone before you''ve had your chance to say:  "Nothing but poppycock, Quintus, and don't say I didn't sat so.")

Man, I love this place!  🤣

[Henri Charriere]

ACQUISITIONS AND POSSESSIONS:  My personal view...

I was frankly surprised (shocked) at learning the lengths to which some collectors go to safeguard their treasures.  Safe-deposit boxes, underground vaults... mattresses. When Jack Rolland Murphy, better known as "Murf the Surf," burglarized the American Museum of Natural History with a few accomplices 60 years ago, he had no Plan B:  no fence to which to take the Star of India, the DeLong Ruby, and other baubles to. Some things are not worth the trouble of taking because they are unique. No one -- except a private collector -- would touch easily identifiable property from a well-publicized heist.

When I was knee-high to a grasshopper, my mother sat me down and espoused her philosophy of life.  She said, "Son, you do not have to buy anything because everything is yours already."  Her point was everything of value is already on display in one institution or another free  [at least back then] for viewing within business hours.  Things you have, never will have and things you never knew you didn't need. No different from safekeeping items in a bank. That, of course, does not take into consideration my collector "instinct."

My standard of living, which I steadfastly maintain is the lowest on the Forum, will have no effect on my life whether the value of my collection of 20-franc gold roosters rise dramatically in price, or plummet.  I will always be me.  As I told a member recently, I do not believe in Final Expenses, burial or cremations.  My plan, which I really ought to patent, is to erect an industrial strength slingshot at the nearest active volcano -- and that's that. I refuse to support funeral homes and unnecessary pageantry, cemeteries and potter's fields, all of which entail expense, space, and impose a burden on others and the environment.  As I have indicated elsewhere, taking my que from the title of a popular old book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten ©️ 

[Errorists]

On 10/8/2022 at 6:49 PM, Henri Charriere said:

As a public service to the virtual army of lurkers out there wondering where ol' Q.A. stands on the latest numismatic developments unfolding with breath-taking speed out there, herewith my thoughts...

1.  Last year's Denver Mint theft of 182 "error" coins by an employee.  The Office of the Inspector General has released its report, but questions remain as to why the employee wasn't prosecuted and/or his employment terminated. Funny how an official report released by a watchdog agency raises more questions than it answers.

2.  King Charles III.  The official unveiling of his portrait reveals the Royal Mint has apparently made a colossal error:  His visage is a dead-ringer for FDR's on the dime. They are virtually indistinguishable. [First up circulating 50-penny coins and commemorative 5# crowns.]

3.  The new ten-dollar bill set for release on the nation's sestercentennial (2026).  A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to effect meaningful change has been squandered with a questionable, enhanced, raised tactile engraving. You kidding me?  Currency you can, ahem, feel? That's it?  Yup, Happy Anniversary!

That 1-oz. gold bullion coin from the Perth Mint commemorating the centennial of the discovery of King Tut's tomb... truth be told @cladking's got a shot at the Mint for unauthorized use [trademark infringement] of his avatar.  I got a greater thrill watching Steve Martin do his King Tut skit on SNL.

As to that new sawbuck slated for release in 2026, I'll quote here from our old stand-by, Shakespeare:  "You scullion!  You rampellian!  You fustilarian!  I'll tickle your catastrophe!"  My sentiments, exactly.  🐓 

This FDR looks like Pinocchio.

[Henri Charriere]

On 2/8/2024 at 2:27 PM, Errorists said:

This FDR looks like Pinocchio.

I am not fond of clads [because they have an uncanny way of silently reminding me how great U.S. coinage once was] but have to admit your humble example has more than a few things going for it.  Why, who knows, one day, you might even write the definitive tome on this subject matter:  "Errorists on Errors."   🤣

[Henri Charriere]

HOW I WAS ROBBED BY THE U.S. MINT.

You read that right, gentle reader.  I wuz robbed by the U.S. Mint!

How, you may ask, is that possible?  Very simple...  Back in 2016, if memory serves, I decided to purchase that 4-coin gold set for the then prevailing price of $4,600, or so.  Acting in true chiffonier fashion, I went to a local store and purchased five (5) money orders from a hole in the wall company I never heard of.  (I am not risk-averse.) 

I filled out an order form, placed all five money orders in a stamped envelope,  and mailed it in the blue box on the street corner. I had five paper stubs.

Unbeknownst to me, having stepped out of the hobby in the Sixties, the gold sets, for all intents and purposes, were gone. After an interval, I received a letter in the mail, reading in substance:  we're all sold out; here's your money back. IN ONE SINGLE CHECK. Instead of returning my money orders they sent me, a man who did not have a checking account, a check.  Now what?

I went to a huge check-cashing establishment in Jackson Heights. Queens, New York, the melting pot of NYC where 120 different nationalities are represented. I slipped my NYS Driver License and the check thru the slot. The clerk was mesmerized.  They did not know who I was or what the check was for.  I told them there was a phone number on it and suggested they call it. (I tell you it's not a comfortable feeling standing in a crowd of strange people from strange lands, foreigners, and trying to negotiate a transaction with clerks who spoke little English and trying to explain to them discreetly,  soto voce, what the big check was for.  "Wha tis dis bull-YONE?" You get the idea.) Now the manager got involved. Everyone wanted to see the big check. Finally, the clerk speaking to a Mint employee in Spanish said, Ok! OK!  Ok!, smiled, hung up, and returned to the counter and counted out all those big bills -- minus some 73 dollars for the check-cashing fee.  I learned later that checks greater than $2,000 are rarely encountered so fees are not posted and had to be calculated.  I asked the nice lady to place the money in an envelope, thanked her, and walked out. I felt the eyes of all the clerks and manager bore thru the back of my head.

You may look at things differently-- you who have checking accounts at banks, but I was effectively out, i.e., ROBBED of $80: subway, coming and going, five money orders, SASE, check-cashing fee -- for absolutely nothing.  It was the largest check I believe I had ever gotten and, in all the excitement, neither I nor apparently the cashier realized I had never endorsed the check!

True story.  🐓 

Posted at Moderation's discretion.

[Henri Charriere]

Re:  Current "Unusual letter" thread by RWB.

Following is an imaginary exchange overheard at the Mint some two weeks following the departure of the Director's clerk...

Unnamed 't Clerk:   S-a-a-a-y, what happened to that 'O4 dollar that was in the desk's bottom drawer???

Director:  I know nothing about it.  🤣

(Posted here so as not to desecrate the above-referenced thread.)  

[Henri Charriere]

POST-MINT DAMAGE OR MINT STATE ERROR?       

I propose a Statute of Limitations on Mint State ERROR claims.

I am painfully aware this is inherently flawed thinking at best, and seditious, heretical, blasphemous thinking at worst, but I believe any member bringing a query or claim of ERROR, must do so within a specified number of years after a coin's mintage date, or it will be statutorily rejected.

For example, can anyone realistically expect a coin that has been in circulation for 37 years to be free of tear and wear?  No, and yet we routinely see "questions" posted by members who inquire whether their parking lot finds, exhibiting gross deformity, are ERRORS.  What would one realistically expect to find after the passage of so much time? Claims of ERROR are ideally made not long after a coin has been minted. I do not regard varieties as ERRORS.  

To speed things up [and clear the back-log of claims] I am going to suggest that as of next year, 2025, no claim of ERROR be considered for any coin minted prior to, or during, the 20th century.

The likelihood that one's coin bears evidence of ERROR diminishes rapidly after mintage in the same manner a new horseless carriage depreciates in value.  To think otherwise beggars the imagination.  All in favor, say Aye!

Rant over.

[Posted at the discretion of Moderation.]

[Errorists]

On 2/22/2024 at 4:38 AM, Henri Charriere said:

POST-MINT DAMAGE OR MINT STATE ERROR?       

I propose a Statute of Limitations on Mint State ERROR claims.

I am painfully aware this is inherently flawed thinking at best, and seditious, heretical, blasphemous thinking at worst, but I believe any member bringing a query or claim of ERROR, must do so within a specified number of years after a coin's mintage date, or it will be statutorily rejected.

For example, can anyone realistically expect a coin that has been in circulation for 37 years to be free of tear and wear?  No, and yet we routinely see "questions" posted by members who inquire whether their parking lot finds, exhibiting gross deformity, are ERRORS.  What would one realistically expect to find after the passage of so much time? Claims of ERROR are ideally made not long after a coin has been minted. I do not regard varieties as ERRORS.  

To speed things up [and clear the back-log of claims] I am going to suggest that as of next year, 2025, no claim of ERROR be considered for any coin minted prior to, or during, the 20th century.

The likelihood that one's coin bears evidence of ERROR diminishes rapidly after mintage in the same manner a new horseless carriage depreciates in value.  To think otherwise beggars the imagination.  All in favor, say Aye!

Rant over.

[Posted at the discretion of Moderation.]

I like Perfect/Flawless PF70/MS70 error coins better then Imperfect/Flawed PF69/MS69 error coins.

[Henri Charriere]

On 2/22/2024 at 10:45 AM, Errorists said:

I like Perfect/Flawless PF70/MS70 error coins better then Imperfect/Flawed PF69/MS69 error coins.

Allow me to make this perfectly clear...  🤣

This would not apply to any certified coins, only those found in circulation. As any ERROR alleged, would have had to have been made on the date of minting, the member submitting a claim or query would have 25 years from that date to raise the issue, or it statutorily defaults to PMD. It is my humble opinion far too much time is spent on the Forum debating the merits of ERRORS that clearly are not. [A lesser concern would be affording the coin carcass a decent burial.]  

Edited February 23 by Henri Charriere
Routine die polishing.

[Errorists]

On 2/22/2024 at 2:55 PM, Henri Charriere said:

Allow me to make this perfectly clear...  🤣

This would not apply to any certified coins, only those found in circulation. As any ERROR alleged, would have to have been made on date of minting, the member submitting a claim or query would have 25 years from that date to raise the issue, or it statutorily defaults to PMD. It is my humble opinion far too much time is spent on the Forum debating the merits of ERRORS that clearly are not. [A lesser concern would be affording the coin carcass a decent burial.]  

I've achieved the "Holy Grail" in coin collecting the perfect error coin. 

[Henri Charriere]

On 2/22/2024 at 4:22 PM, Errorists said:

I've achieved the "Holy Grail" in coin collecting the perfect error coin. 

In my mind's eye, Kurt, who has been around awhile, ought to be the Final Arbiter of what constitutes flawless perfection.  I would run those fine examples by him before rendering a verdict. If it passes his sniff test, you're In Like Flint.       

[Henri Charriere]

The following was written in reply to member RWB's assertion that the provenance of the gold found in the wreck of the S.S. Central America is unknown, and therefore of no research value...

The Willamette Meteorite some members may recall is the largest Meteorite in the United States and the 6th largest in the world.

We do not know precisely where it came from, when or where it struck the Earth -- or even when it was found!

We do know it weighs 30,000 lbs. and arrived sometime before the end of the last Ice Age.  We also know the indigenous people of the Willamette Valley, including the Confederate Tribes of the Grand Fionde Community of Oregon, demand its return.  It has been residing at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City since its arrival with the assistance of twenty horse-drawn carriages in 1906.

I believe Schliemann plundered the ruins of Troy in present-day Turkey; ISIS destroyed the tomb of Jonah in Mosul in present-day Iraq -- and the wind exists, though I cannot see it.

The lengths to which the Ship of Gold's payload was documented, in meticulous detail, with the use of grids, coordinates and cameras on an underwater submersible, was unprecedented.  The gold, the bars, personal mementoes, were all retrieved with the greatest of care.  Period publications were consulted which enabled salvagers to conclusively locate and identify the wreck and manifests were pored over to indicate what would be found, how much and where.  Many of those who died, heavily-laden with the gold they worked so hard to find, refused to empty their pockets. No wreck before or since was so carefully documented. Metallurgical experts can identify the origin of gold (and silver) from any area of the world. 

Some things you just have to accept on faith. Like the existence of Santa Claus. No one has credibly refuted his existence in centuries.

[Henri Charriere]

Trying to fix the date of my introduction to numismatics, I am unable to say exactly when it was but it is safe to say I had a number of type sets in the familiar old blue Whitman albums before silver was withdrawn from circulation a year after JFK's death in 1963, when Marilyn Monroe died (1962) during the deadly Paret-Griffin fight/Cuban missile crises (1961) and back to the time I was in elementary school and a young girl sold me coins from her late Dad's collection, including an 1894-O dime -- for face value.  I had a Red Book, looked it up, discovered it was rare, worth $25. in either Fair or Good condition, and offered her more, but she demurred. 

As it is against the Law -- and chat board guidelines to refer to members by name, I thought I would share with you, the discriminating collector, how impressed I am with a member here who has compiled a number of top-shelf custom sets, continues to dabble in all manner of coins in seemingly all states of preservation and still has time to devote to assist other members.  It is virtually impossible to fix his area of interest or expertise.  He exudes the confidence and easy geniality that comes effortlessly to him.  If there were an annual award for the member who best represents the ideal hobbyist, his name would come up, hands down.

Man, I love this place!  🤣 

[Henri Charriere]

Re: "Dealer vs Member Grading" (current topic posted by dccbar on this Forum)

1-  Having never attended a live auction, I am ill-equipped to characterize the pregnant pauses seen in this one as being out of the ordinary. My televised experiences suggest they are fast-moving and do not pause for bids. Maybe I am mistaken. (Member @VKurtB would be eminently qualified to comment on this aspect.)

2-  Sotheby's...  cautionary tale here.  There are those of us old enough to remember the muted coverage of the Sotheby's-Christie's price-fixing scandal which resulted in the once-chairman of Sotheby's auction house, Adolphus Alfred Taubman, then 79, businessman, inventor and philanthropist convicted on a plea of guilty and sentenced to one year in a Federal prison and a fine of $7-1/2 million serving his time, uneventfully, as inmate 50444-054 at the FMC in Rochester, MN.  He died at age 91; he would have been 100 today had he lived.

[zadok]

On 4/21/2024 at 8:57 PM, Henri Charriere said:

Re: "Dealer vs Member Grading" (current topic posted by dccbar on this Forum)

1-  Having never attended a live auction, I am ill-equipped to characterize the pregnant pauses seen in this one as being out of the ordinary. My televised experiences suggest they are fast-moving and do not pause for bids. Maybe I am mistaken. (Member @VKurtB would be eminently qualified to comment on this aspect.)

2-  Sotheby's...  cautionary tale here.  There are those of us old enough to remember the muted coverage of the Sotheby's-Christie's price-fixing scandal which resulted in the once-chairman of Sotheby's auction house, Adolphus Alfred Taubman, then 79, businessman, inventor and philanthropist convicted on a plea of guilty and sentenced to one year in a Federal prison and a fine of $7-1/2 million serving his time, uneventfully, as inmate 50444-054 at the FMC in Rochester, MN.  He died at age 91; he would have been 100 today had he lived.

 

 

 

...to summarize:...the poster had nothing relevant to add....

[Henri Charriere]

On 4/22/2024 at 3:58 PM, zadok said:

...to summarize:...the poster had nothing relevant to add....

...Operative words: "unsolicited comments"... One Key victory of note:  my greatest fan read every word of what I'd written and, in true gentlemanly fashion, ditched the overused emoji, and dignified my comment with a formal reply.  What a mensch!  Man, I love this place!  Pesach sameach!

[zadok]

On 4/22/2024 at 4:39 PM, Henri Charriere said:

...Operative words: "unsolicited comments"... One Key victory of note:  my greatest fan read every word of what I'd written and, in true gentlemanly fashion, ditched the overused emoji, and dignified my comment with a formal reply.  What a mensch!  Man, I love this place!  Pesach sameach!

...u mite make it into a footnote in that text book yet....

[VKurtB]

On 4/21/2024 at 7:57 PM, Henri Charriere said:

Re: "Dealer vs Member Grading" (current topic posted by dccbar on this Forum)

1-  Having never attended a live auction, I am ill-equipped to characterize the pregnant pauses seen in this one as being out of the ordinary. My televised experiences suggest they are fast-moving and do not pause for bids. Maybe I am mistaken. (Member @VKurtB would be eminently qualified to comment on this aspect.)

2-  Sotheby's...  cautionary tale here.  There are those of us old enough to remember the muted coverage of the Sotheby's-Christie's price-fixing scandal which resulted in the once-chairman of Sotheby's auction house, Adolphus Alfred Taubman, then 79, businessman, inventor and philanthropist convicted on a plea of guilty and sentenced to one year in a Federal prison and a fine of $7-1/2 million serving his time, uneventfully, as inmate 50444-054 at the FMC in Rochester, MN.  He died at age 91; he would have been 100 today had he lived.

Truly high end coin auctions are handled at a quite leisurely pace. While a Pennsylvania back country coin auction might sell about 100 coins per hour, when they get to “star of the sale” coins, 36 seconds doesn’t cut it. Five minutes may be taken, particularly if there are phone bidders. At a “real” high end sale, like a Signature sale or Platinum Night sale, the pace is more like 35-40 per hour. Keep in mind, prebids are already in the book.