RWB

Erratic filing at Treasury was/is commonplace. The fact that there was an export license does not mean it was filed with other licenses. I frequently find misfiled documents -- guess that's just part of the "vomit."

The Wells Frago and other similar instances are object lessons -- get the information while it's fresh. Each delay loses content and quality.

The King Farouk export letter exists and license. There's no secret about it - never has been. Copies filed with Fenton case.

Here's a page from one of the SF Mint's Cashier's notebooks. By itself it's not a lot of info., But imagine hundreds of pages of notes, personal memos, comments of coins condemned and why. The few pages we have from John Sinnock's hand show evidence of the nearly constant tinkering with master dies. The 1936-42 proof coin notebooks tell us when dies were re-polished, how many coins they struck, why some dies failed, etc. The memories of former and present employees likely offer similar revelations of current practices -- if we are smart enough to approach their mental regurgitations not as "vomit" but as meaningful knowledge.

This is a meaningful point. If no one asks questions, or people directly involved in such transactions refuse to put facts on public record, the knowledge and insights will be lost forever. We see that in every aspect of numismatic as researchers, collectors and specialists do their best to figure out how and why certain were made. The truth was once there, but it was not recorded. Even though modern research into both the physical coins and documentation has come a very long way in the past 25+ years, the facts about how and why the US Mint or Treasury did many ordinary tasks are unknown. Here's a really basic example: "How were coins distributed from the Mints?" We have some partial answers for the 19th and early 20th century, but some general procedures and most details are missing. Mint foremen used to carry pocket notebooks. So did Cashiers, M&R foremen, etc. They were summaries of what happened each day and how equipment was used. Almost all are gone. We will lose today's information knowledge in much the same manner, unless interested people invest the time and resources to ask questions of the people who do the real work.

Member VKurtB had the following intellectually and numismatically insightful comment on another thread: On 3/1/2022 at 12:09 PM, VKurtB said: Roger, your “contribution” (as if…) is nothing more then glorified REGURGITATION of known material. And it is worth exactly that … vomit. Omitting the personal reference, is it the opinion of coin collectors that numismatic research is "glorified regurgitation" or "vomit?" How about other kinds of research and investigation?

Your photo is not visible.

False. The imports were for corporate profit, not for actual need to cover a domestic shortfall. Second the Keystone pipeline would have conveyed Canadian oil to export (non-US) markets.

The only clear difference is in the quantity of ink used to print the labels.

Not according to Bloomberg's Asian markets. The US produces more oil and gas than we can use, plus we have many capped wells awaiting use. We are net sellers and buyers only if it profits the US companies that produce domestic oil.

Bloomberg Financial: “Russia is simply unbankable at this stage and anyone holding Russian assets will find their book value marked at zero till we find a way out of this,” said Saed Abukarsh, chief portfolio manager at Ark Capital Management Dubai, Ltd. “The overall market is unprepared for the speed of developments since the inception of the war.”

Nice detail photo, Rguy1.

That's a real nice Bison, too -- for 1/10th the cost. (The photos aren't good enough to really compare the two coins. The "69" label was what the buyer wanted.)

As of late last week Russia’s central bank held $630 billion in reserves, almost double what it held six years ago. The bank sold off US Treasury securities and bought gold with the proceeds. Russian reserves now hold 20% of their value in gold bullion, or about $126 billion. In peaceful times, this could be sold for dollars, euros or yen and the money used to support the Russian economy or for other purposes. However, the financial sanctions imposed for invading Ukraine mean that no dollars, euros or yen can be sent to Russia, and no one will buy Russia’s gold. Thus, the $126 billion in gold reserves is valueless, and total Russian reserves are about $504 billion. Additionally, all of this remainder that is in American, Eurozone, or Japanese currency is also embargoed. Lastly, China, India an Saudi Arabia seem to be maintaining a “hands-off” approach. [Sources: Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC.] How do you think this situation will affect the market value of gold, if at all? (Today's gold was $1,916.90 +1.22%)

The Saint-Gaudens gold coins were sandblasted individually -- Only the Lincoln and Buffalo designs to 1916 are called "matte." They were made by sandblasting the dies before hardening.

Likely a similar reaction in 1913-1916 to matte proofs.

This 1936 satin proof Buffalo nickel, graded PR-69, sold for $99,000 on Feb 20. https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1047859/1936-Buffalo-Nickel-Type-1-Satin-PCGS-Proof-69-Toned In 1936, there were 4,420 pieces sold for this date. They were split between the first issue in satin finish (2,614 or 59%), and the second (or “Type II”) in brilliant (mirror-like) surface (1,806 or 41%). The first set of 1936 proof coins was sent to Mint Bureau employee Fred Chaffin on April 15 by assistant director Mary O’Reilly. “I am enclosing $1.16 to cover the cost of the twenty-five cent piece you recently sent as a proof specimen and also $0.91 for the set of proof coins received yesterday. Thank you for your courtesy in providing these so rapidly. Please be careful that no duplicates of these proof coins leave your hands” The coins were intended for President Roosevelt’s friend Louis Howe, who was in Walter Reed hospital, but Howe died before the coins could be given to him. The President and Treasury Secretary Morgenthau decided to produce additional proof sets for sale to the public and they were authorized on April 16. See my book United States Proof Coins 1936 – 1942 for much more information.

The ones with these characters are the really valuable pieces. 明 皇 比 萨

There are an immense quantity of unmarked fakes.

That's great! She was also collecting information that could help others understand your request.

Where's the welding helmet? OSHA's gonna' be angry....

(The subject also comes up occasionally when collectors think they have an easy way to find something.)

Great response! Hope it all succeeds.

One little side light. None of the Mint Directors was involved in any of the litigation relating to the 1933 DE either in the 1940s or 2000s. That was not their role, and in the 2000s, they no longer had the authority to :"make a deal." That was done by Treasury, only. Dir Moy was especially careful to say out - he was well known and had a lot of direct contact with hobby/business leaders and collectors. His involvement would only have been detrimental to the Treasury case.

RE: "Every bit of information retrieved from NARA diving has been there since the documents were created, every blessed bit (including digital) of it. There is NOTHING new there. Roger’s contribution is LITERALLY “he has the time and local ability to rummage through it.” Literally anyone can do it, if they care." Absolutely true -- note the last phrase "if they care." How many "care?" Anyone can go to the archives and look. Anyone can copy large quantities of documents. How many make sense of these? How many can the Mighty All-Powerful Oz-Kurt name? How about his ignorant self? No? Hmmmm. Written any original research articles or books lately? No? Does that mean you don't care? Are simply too foolish to credit anything or anybody except your own vapid ego? Then, once found, what does one do with the information? Just toss it over the fence as raw meat to hungry tigers? Does that actually create anything more useful than the data merely sitting in a NARA vault? No. Once you have data on a subject, one has to study it, correlate it, relate it, analyze it --- one has to go down many dead ends until concordance of information is found - or not found. Reality is what Mighty All-Powerful Oz-Kurt fails, and fails miserably to comprehend, is that no data has value unless it is understood. Research is an investigation of data using all the tools and methodologies available. Scientific research is the core of forensic science and any other methodology of understanding the information and meaning of isolated raw bits and pieces. Communicating that - the language, packaging, and presentation are the things that make all of this available to real people who want to know and understand. A final remark -- sitting next to a Mint lawyer at dinner is one of the worst ways imaginable to obtain a balanced view on anything. The attorney, as Mighty All-Powerful Oz-Kurt claims to understand, is an advocate for the client at all times. Admitting anything contrary to the client's story in a public setting is be a violation of attorney-client relationships. (I happen to be friends with the government's lawyers in the 1933 case. But that does not alter the facts or one word of what was presented by anyone. The more Mighty All-Powerful Oz-Kurt says, the less sense he makes and the less trust he appears to inspire. He is adept at belittling others, but contributes nothing original himself.