altyn

Amazing images! Your sharing any details of how you took them would be appreciated.

Congratulations on the acquisition of the lovely (although pricey) coins. I am surprised that NGC could make such an error as mislabeling the denga as 1K.

and some weirdos collect dead insects AND coins...

Thanks providing this reference.

... as we see it. But she saw it differently.

I read somewhere (and do not remember where it was), that the reason for rejecting the Dassier's work was that the dress shown was TOO HUMBLE, and in the Empress's opinion improper for a Russian 'барыня' (noble woman) to wear. If the dress shown were more imposing or better decorated, she might have approved the portrait. I do not know if this is just an anecdote or a true story, but I can imagine saying that would have been very typical of her based on her known habits and the life style.

If only he paid more attention to properly showing the Empress's dress...

This is a very interesting point. Does "presumption of innocence" apply to coins/medals? Is a coin presumed innocent (genuine) until proven guilty (fake) or the other way around? I am intrigued.