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lithyem Veteran user San Diego, CA 306 Posts |
Just received my custom coin set from Xavier Belmont of Paris:
The coins are Silver Belgian 5Franc pieces from the 1870's - beautiful coins if you haven't seen them. Note the type on the coin edges - how sweet is that. The set is incredible to see in person. The coins are really unique and soft and everything works perfectly together. In total it is comprised of 4 standard coins, 1 flipper, 1 3-shell-nest (with outer shell fitting the standard coins, flipper and copper/silver) and a copper/silver + matching copper. Flickr link to the set (private with guest pass provided) http://flickr.com/gp/lithyem/71Vu39 I ordered this custom set from Xavier about a month ago and he was amazingly easy to work with and truly a pro! Everything came in a crazy little custom box designed to hold just these coins too! I hope you like them and give Xavier a buzz! Silver Belgain 5-Franc Pieces 3 Shell Nest Flipper Copper/Silver |
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Bungee Regular user 160 Posts |
Really nice set. Is his 3 shell nest as thick as a 3CM or is it smaller due to not having mags?
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lithyem Veteran user San Diego, CA 306 Posts |
Thanks! It's a touch thicker actually since the center coin is standard thickness - my 3CM shims add no thickness at all to the shells as they seem to be inset into the shell. The 3CM is made with the outermost coin being an unexpanded shell.
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TravisRobertson Regular user Cedar Rapids, IA USA 199 Posts |
Those are gorgeous. Just out of curiousity, how much did the whole set cost?
I am looking to buy Pressley Guitar items in good condition. Send me a PM for details.
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tabman Inner circle USA 5946 Posts |
Wow. That makes me want to move to France and do some Magic . Really stunning set of coins and I like your thinking behind getting a complete set. Great planning on your part too. Does Xavier have a website?
-=tabman
...Your professional woodworking and "tender" loving care in the products you make, make the wait worthwhile. Thanks for all you do...
http://Sefalaljia.com |
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TC Ryder Elite user Florida 496 Posts |
This is nice stuff man!!! If you ever do a video with some of this stuff make sure to post it.
TC |
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lithyem Veteran user San Diego, CA 306 Posts |
Hi Travis - mind if I just say they were not terribly cheap? Prices on par with Lassen/Schoolcraft. Being priced in Euros that is especially so.
Tabman - Actually Xavier offered up the idea of the complete set and I added the copper/silver to top it off. You can see his site here: http://www.xavierbelmont.com/ I can't say enough good words about working with him on this project. He offers an amazing selection of european coins that most of us here in the US won't have seen too. Ive heard it argued that a foreign coin may ring suspect but I say it's all in the hands of the magician. Work with him and you will have a set that you will never see anyone else performing with. I toned and finished them myself as I do have a particular look and feel that I like my coins to have... high contrast and matte finish. -Michael |
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CamisBoss Regular user 128 Posts |
Those are some sweet coins! Congrats!
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tabman Inner circle USA 5946 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-07-21 18:40, lithyem wrote: Thank you for the web information. Its a beautiful set and timeless. The coins themselves are works of art. You did a beautiful job finishing them off. I bet they feel great in your hands. -=tabman
...Your professional woodworking and "tender" loving care in the products you make, make the wait worthwhile. Thanks for all you do...
http://Sefalaljia.com |
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Sammy J. Inner circle Castle Rock, Colorado 1786 Posts |
Like a lot of us here, I appeciate incredible coin sets. Those look incredible. Only one observation, and it's probably because of the camera, in the first set of photos one (face up) seems to have a more silver hue than the others. Is that true or is it because of the camera?
Sammy
Sammy J. Teague
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lithyem Veteran user San Diego, CA 306 Posts |
@tabman - thanks! they do feel great - I love the smooth matte finish - super quiet.
@sammy - thanks too! yep the angle of that first coin is causing it to look brighter than the others but in natural light it's the same as the others. (You can see the difference between my finishing and the way they came from looking at the flipper compared to the others - I didn't finish the flipper) |
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pepka Inner circle Uh, I'm the one on the right. 5041 Posts |
Whoah, those sure are purdy!
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MickeyPainless Inner circle California 6065 Posts |
Whoaaaaaa is right!
Beautiful set Michael! MMc |
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ShawnB Special user 728 Posts |
Lith be carefull if you do finish the flipper. I aged a Morgan flipper back n the day... and it highlighted the cut in the coin.
Best Shawn
Shawn.
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tabman Inner circle USA 5946 Posts |
I have to have a set of those. Back in the day, I collected coins made by Conrad Haden. I havent been excited by a set of coins since then but these are fantastic. I need to sell a few more copies of my book and ear mark the $$ for these coins. I wish I could read French. My two years of French in college has failed me now.
-=tabman
...Your professional woodworking and "tender" loving care in the products you make, make the wait worthwhile. Thanks for all you do...
http://Sefalaljia.com |
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lithyem Veteran user San Diego, CA 306 Posts |
Hey Tabman - give Xavier an email. He speaks decent english and is super amiable. Id love to see some pics of your Haden coins if you have any?
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jimmyj Veteran user 343 Posts |
Lithyem,
Yow-Nice purchase. Great looking set of coins. I'd love to know your "tone and finish" procedure. I can also understand why or if you'd like to keep it to yourself. I use Black and Silver instead of .....of Sulpher. The name escapes me now. I get some pretty good results, but nothing like that. Great job. Jim. |
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polygonsmagic Veteran user 372 Posts |
The standard coins look great. However, the shell of the 3 coin nest looks like it has a really wide rim. Is that edge added on...like back in the Connie Hayden days? Not crazy about the middle shell being the reverse of the other 2 coins, actually I think the reverse is the nicer side of the coin, he should have used that for all the shells in my opinion. Another sad thing is the last coin has no edge. With that fancy edge it seems impossible to reduce the diameter without this discrepancy, his only choice would be to expand and double expand the top 2 shells. The flipper is not a gravity because I can see the groove and the saw cut seems fairly obvious.
Great coins, but not crazy about the work. I looked at this guy's website about 2 years ago. His coins on the site look really good, now after seeing these I'm less apt to give him an order. |
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tabman Inner circle USA 5946 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-07-22 14:28, lithyem wrote: Thanks, I will look and see if I have any pictures. I sold all that stuff a few years ago to raise money to do a movie; ultimately a dumb idea outside all the stuff I learned. I'll drop him an email. -=tabman
...Your professional woodworking and "tender" loving care in the products you make, make the wait worthwhile. Thanks for all you do...
http://Sefalaljia.com |
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lithyem Veteran user San Diego, CA 306 Posts |
Hey polygon - the top shell I agree has a wider rim than I'd like. It's an expanded shell and not added on. The raised writing on the edges of the coins requires a slightly wider coin than if they were milled edges. I played with the toning yesterday and removed the contrast from the outer rims so it's much less apparent now. The high contrast was basically pointing to it. Now however its no more visible than my expanded shells from the good guys.
The middle shell is unexpanded and simply milled out into a shell. It's reverse (tails side) so that the 3-shell nest goes heads up, tails up, heads up. Different from a 3CM or Triple Threat because this is not a magnetic set and if the 2 shells were both heads, un-shelling them in the fingers would be unworkable to only retain the outer shell. Proved by covering the insert coin with a shell then another in the same direction - hard to work with. This is more like the Hopping Halves coin where the shells reverse head to tails. The last coin has no edge because it's re-milled to fit the unexpanded middle shell. The nice thing about this one is when it's shelled the nest is dead secure much like a english penny shell since its a sharp edge on the insert coin. This means it can be handled very casually - tossed from hand to hand and flipped. Nobody is going to see the edge of the coin just like nobody has seen the edges of my copper/silver which is pretty impossible to hide the sandwich in construction. The flipper is a gravity flipper, its weighted and has a magnet in it as well. Dead silent, and really sturdy. The cut is really interesting to see in person as it wraps around the profile of the head on the coin which hides it very well. I've used the old-style flipper since about '98, before anyone made flippers with reedged inserts, and once again nobody sees it. I forgot who it was offhand but I remember this magician who would should both sides of a shell to a spectator. They did not notice anything was off. Good routining, spectator management, and a dash of Gestalt psychology and you could swap out wooden nickles and not get busted. Relying in the tools for perfection or good magic is a mistake I've learned. In any case - I used these last night and showed them around at a lecture and people went crazy for them. They are really beautiful in person! To each his own however. |
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