I may not make any friends, but I feel this needs to be said.

According to NGC, when they judge the journal posts for their annual awards, they judge them according to the following criteria:

1. Writing talent

2. Creativity

3. Enthusiasm

4. Numismatic Knowledge

5. ?..and most importantly, the sharing of a personal sense of the collecting journey.

Of lately it seems that the journal postings have veered off from what NGC has intended for their use. The intention of NGC as described above is that journals are to be a diary of the collecting experience. As such, the journal forum is not intended for dialog on the topic of the day. For those conversations, NGC maintains a chat board.

We all have pet peeves, and posting can give us the soapbox we desire with which to voice our opinions. We need to resist this in order to preserve the integrity of the journal post. The chat board is the perfect forum for vetting on any number of topics. There is even a water cooler discussion area for just about any topic. I only wish I had practiced what I preach. For example, I read a recent post detailed six disturbing trends in the collecting community. I felt so strongly against the points detailed in that post, that I had to write a rebuttal and post it. While my arguments may have been well thought out and reasoned they did not meet the criteria set forth by NGC. I should have replied by sending my rebuttal via e-mail to the author of the post.

The journal post is about life stories, experiences, and sharing knowledge for the betterment of the entire community. The journal postings are for the good experiences as well as the bad. Since collecting is a large portion of many of our lives, how does it enhance or take away from our relationships? I particularly like it when people write about sharing coin collecting with their children, spouses, or friends. I enjoy reading about members who go to coin shows cherry picking coins from a dollar box to find that one treasure. I take pleasure when people share their enthusiasm and pictures about their latest purchase and how it fits into their collection. When someone learns something through experience, I have often gleaned pointers that have helped me to avoid pit falls. Information about your latest submission can be very informative; I?m always rooting for people to get the best grades for their coins! I love telling stories and history about coins, and I believe my recent post on finishing my 20th century type set encompasses all the points detailed in NGC?s criteria.

In so much as E-Bay is an integral part of the collecting community today, it will come up as you detail your experiences. When it does try to detail the experience, but avoid the opinion. When it comes to opinion, I say, ?Let the reader decide?. I understand there is a fine line between the two and it can be hard distinguish between the two, especially if you have had a bad experience. Try to avoid tripe one-liners, they only serve to sour the community and discourage journaling. If this means I do fewer postings, then so be it. I thoroughly enjoy your postings of substance, as they serve to enhance my collecting experience. Come on, I know you have something more to talk about than NGC, PCGS, E-Bay, USPS, and the commodities market. Yes, these things are part of coin collecting too, but when they consume the journal posting board, there is something awry.

Finally, let us try to self-police the posting board. I fear if NGC has to intercede, that none of us will be happy. If at any time you notice me off target, send me an e-mail, I can take it when I am wrong. Oh, and by the way feel free to rebut this post by sending me an e-mail, I?m game, and I will be happy to engage in a dialog. Happy Collecting to all!

Gary