Mike, How in the world would you know who I worked for or even who I am??? The posts here do not state names. Warmly, David
I will leave this debate with one comment. I can ask what I want for anything I am selling. Will I get my price???? I am not going to mention a specific dealer name, but I ran into a retail customer that spent $7 million on coins that were marked up VERY VERY SUBSTANTIALLY. In fact, I ruined my chances with this client by quoting a around $80,000 for a coin I could have bought for $70,000 because this dealer offered the same coin for double my price. RETAIL is RETAIL. A lot of dealers get high retail prices and high markups for special pieces or well promoted coins. I am not talking about telemarketers that sell overgraded junk. I am talking about rarities sold by mainstream dealers.
That's nice. Now please explain why there's no shots of said new holder in the listing? Also, I don't think that anyone who buys a $400,000 coin is going to be doing so blindly.
Images of US COINS or CURRENCY are not eligble for copyright status. Mr. Bkly mentioned the Wikipedia opinion which can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Money-US
Also, I don't think that anyone who buys a $400,000 coin is going to be doing so blindly. YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED HOW MANY DEALERS HAVE SOLD COINS AT HIGH MARKUPS. If I sell one out of one hundred SPECIAL coins per year at a high markup the marketing expenses are more than worth it. I have done it before, trust me on that. And, so have many big dealers.
I disagree with your application of Bridgeman v. Corel (which does not affect the law regarding photographs of three-dimensional works of art, if that's what you want to call a coin. The decision specifically addresses only two-dimensional works, where the goal is to duplicate the original as closely as possible.), and suggest that Eastern America Trio Products v. Tang Electronic Corp, where the unathorized use of another's photographs in a catalog was judged to be a violation of the copyright, is much more applicable. You might also research derivitave works (which is what your image is, in my opinion), and how the law treats them -- to wit, a derivative work can only include copyrighted material if it is created by the owner of the copyright on the original material, or with that person's permission.
Mike, you are correct, as I do not care if people know who I am. Do you care to tell me who you are. Mr. Leadfoot, BRIDGEMAN is certainly open to different opinions, although I do not see how art can be considered TWO D and a COIN THREE D. I guess that is open to different opinions. However, see my link to the WIKIPEDIA posting. Besides relying on BRIDGEMAN, there is the issue that US COIN OR CURRENCY IMAGES can not be copyrighted and of course the fact the coins are now my coins, which combined with the the aforementioned issues makes this whole issue kind of moot.
I have no problem telling you who I am (if you are that interested, please send me a PM and I will respond with my full name), however I never told anyone who you are, just who your former employer is. I will respectfully disagree with your assessment of copyrights applying to images of US coins, and I don't take legal direction from Wikipedia, but do appreciate you sharing the link. However, I am open minded to your suggestion that they do not apply, so I will do more reasearch and report back what I find.....Mike
Yet you still refuse to show us the holder... "Actions speak louder than words", "One picture is worth a thousand words", etc.
I was shocked the first auction didn't get pulled. I'm guessing the seller ended it. I didn't see the second listing before it was pulled.
I will get some NEW pics. However, having a pic of any coin doesn't mean someone really is selling the coin. A high school kid was arrested for grand larceny after he posted on Ebay a BEAUTIFUL PICTURE of a Bubble Screen TV. After getting the money he sent the buyer a BEAUTIFUL COLOR PICTURE of a Bubble Screen TV. True story.
How about this billionare, I will make you an offer you cant resist, I will pay you 100 times face value for the coin. That is 50 dollars in cold hard cash. Ok I am just kidding (Unless you really just want 50 bucks ) All jokes aside take a pic of the slab while holding the slab next to a dollar bill. Just to prove you actually have the coin in your possession. That will prove all the non-believers the coin is actually yours.
Oh and BTW the New Orleans Mint DID make proof coins... http://www.ha.com/common/info/press/default.php?ReleaseID=865
I have a staff of copyright lawyers ... see NYFAIRUSE.ORG and NYLXS.COM So does Wikipedia, BTW and they have actually won both out of court and in court settlements on this matter with not only coins, but also works of art older than copyright law. Your cooperate lawyers are overreaching, because obviously they're frankly brainwashed by years of corporate defense. Pictures of coins are not copyrightable unless they reach some threshold of art or originality. Also see my sig... This is my last post on this.. You can google the many arguments about this and come out of the darkness, or you can continue to believe that every fact and record that you can ever make can become exclusive private property for 99 years + under section 102 and the DMCA. the whole thing makes me puke... Ruben
Mr. Garrett, How about a pic of me holding the coin shaking hands with Bill Clinton or President Bush??? With the AMAZING COMPUTER SOFTWARE available, one can CREATE almost any photo. Smiles. Warmly, David
