Stirring Up the Old Hornets Nest

[Mokiechan]

Or why in every human endeavour, there are widely varied goals.

 

Let me generalize here. Virtually everyone on this Board is a Coin Collector and appreciates both the aesthetics and history of the coins they choose to ocllect. I understand that a few of us might be pure investors just looking for a profit but most of us has some Numismatist in us.

 

So after reading a large number of threads over the past couple of years, I believe that we members can be placed into two main collector categories. For simplicity sake, I will call us either outward focused or inward focused collectors. I do recognize that most of us have traits of the other type of collector no matter what our dominent type. So very few of us are pure OF or IF in nature.

 

Outward focused collectors are very competitive and are habitually concerned about sudden point adjustments, their overall ranking, and official recognition opportunities (awards, *1 rankings, etc.). OFs are also concerned about any perceived unfairness in the rankings or awards system. At their most extreme, they will prattle endlessly about why they should have won something that someone else won. They are Martyrs to the cause of righteousness.

 

Inward focused collectors are the librarians of our hobby with a love for higly detailed knowledge of their particular collecting interest. IFs can very skillfully describe all the subtle nuances of a coin within their collection to include highly technical knowledge of die states, die pairings, branch mint tendencies, and mint mark positions. IFs are the Nerds of the collecting world and they revel in VAM types, etc. At their most extreme, IFs will hijack a perfectly innocent thread and turn it into a heated battle over some irrelevent, but erroneous, comment made during the course of the main discussion. They are Pit Bulls.

 

Both types of collector are needed to make our hobby dynamic because both types of collector take some traits from the other to make their own experience better.

 

I think of myself as a lazy outward focused collector with a desire to be more inward focused even though I dislike details.

 

Who are You?

 

Later,

Malcolm

AKA BEAWCHAN (my new avatar)

 

See more journals by BeawChan

[jayman1970]

I definately tend to be more outward focused but I check the amount of views my sets have received more than the amount of points I have.It makes me happy just to know that someone takes time to view my sets!!!

[hunter's gold]

I agree with Jayman. I enjoy seeing how many other collectors have looked at my sets. That is why this year I am working on my photos and descriptions.

[SPHansen]

Wow.. lets see. I'd say I was 2/3 OF and 1/3 IF... and like Jayman, I love to see that people have looked in on my sets. Just added a new coin to my Bulgarian Treasures Custom set, and was surprised to see that it had 29 views! Hopefully, NGC will add Bulgaria to the competitive world sets, so it gets even more!

 

And that is one cute pup! Mine just turned 5 a couple of weeks ago, a black and white Shih Tsu named Rocky

 

 

[SPHansen]

Oooo... just checked the request thread, and the sets I asked to be added have been placed on the master list! Awesome... first step taken! FYI, here is a great site dedicated to Bulgarian Coins, in case anyone is interested

 

www.bulgariancoins.com

 

[Mokiechan]

Thanks for your input Fella's. I think I must be turning more OF because I spent an inordinate amount of time setting up my pictures and descriptions for my recently arrived 25th SAE set. Oh the glory, the glory.

 

 

Malcolm

[Six Mile Rick]

I am inward focused but not really to the nerd state as you call it. My collection is spur-attic as I don't stick to the same coins looking to reach any top ranks. I usually check for vams on everything I am interested in purchasing. If you have a Morgan set at a higher rank than I do and it is all PCGS I am glad for you that you could acquire a finer set than I.

 

Malcolm, you mentioned the pit bull attitude of a IF. Sounds like you got in a good thread or two on the chats. I love reading those.

 

Later---Rick

[coinsbygary]

I am definitely outward focused to the point that it really bothers me when I do a post and it gets buried off the most recent list in as little as 4 hours. I like to think my posts are really cool and I want the most people possible to read them. Call it vain or conceited, but I really like the diversity of people in Collector's-Society and love to converse with people who have the same love for collecting that I do. Yes, I do post pictures and owner descriptions of my coins in the hope that people will look at the photos and read the descriptions of the coins. Conversely, I love reading other peoples posts and perusing their collections. I am a little nerdy in that I spend hours researching the coins I write about. After all, we are a little like family.

Gary

I think I am confused about IF and OF, kind of reminds me of my daughter who likes those psychological profiles that drive me nuts every time she mentions it. I don't like being put into a box. I'm just simply me wrinkles and all!

[Merlin8*]

Great insight Malcolm,

 

I look at it all, views and points but I would say I enjoy the views much more than the points, but I get a real kick out of the thought that other members are looking at my Custom Sets so I keep up with all my photos and descriptions, but I also like a good scrap. For a type I have not a clue, so using an old golfing adage, if you look at a putt from all angles and it looks straight then it is.

 

50/50

 

Merlin8*

[Mokiechan]

DAVID (#),

I tried to answer your private message but you apparently have the ability to receive messages disabled. In answer to your question Fluffy's breed is unknown to me although I suspect a lion dog mix. Fluffy's pose is so perfect that to pose him in any other way would be ruinous after all "Fluffy is the Destroyer of Worlds".

 

Google some of my hints and you may find Fluffy.

 

Later,

Malcolm

[BULLY]

I just LOVE the topic of how other people go about getting photos for their coins.

 

Since you mentioned it as a goal, I'll ask, how do photograph or otherwise image your coins?

 

Do you use a camera, if so, how?

 

Do you use a scanner, and if so, how?

 

Or do you rely on NGC's images? I ask because their prices have risen, and of course if you buy your coins elsewhere, and aren't submitting them to NGC on your own, it would be a submission JUST for images, a costly endeavor indeed. Not to mention that they wouldn't image a coin that wasn't slabbed by NGC.

 

Example, you submit a PCGS coin for crossover service but they don't think the coin makes the grade, so they leave it in the PCGS holder. Though you asked for ALL the coins on the submission invoice to be imaged, since THAT particular coin wasn't put into an NGC slab, it doesn't get imaged. There's always a loophole.

 

Then other times in the past I submit 5 invoices to NGC, but two of them just didn't happen to make it to get imaged because on two of them, the labels were done wrong, so the invoices and the accompanying coins were pulled by Quality Control to be re-labeled. Meanwhile, since QC focuses on that part, the invoices are "out of the normal workflow" and never make it back to imaging. So, NGC catches one mistake only to make another, and several dozen coins don't get imaged. Now THAT is quality control. Another sabot into the machine that is NGC.

 

When I've tried to scan my coins, no matter what i do the images are SERIOUSLY blurred and basically useless.

 

I admittedly haven't tried my hand at photography, but I am curious if do try it, what lighting should I use, what background, what camera settings, etc.?

 

Does it change for mint state (matte finish) vs. proof coins which are so much more reflective like a mirror?

 

So many variables to consider, just the thought of it makes me shun the process.

 

 

[Chris1976]

Bully, I tried to send you a PM with this information. Sorry if it upsets anyone for posting it here.

 

Taking photos of your coins will almost always turn out better if you use a camera and photo image manipulation software such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro.

 

First I would start by reading the information on this site.

Coin Photography by Mark Goodman

 

 

Here is a link to my Coin Photo progress

Photo progress thread on NGC Forums

 

Here is a more detailed thread I posted on Purely Numismatics coin forum about how I take photos of my coins along with some examples.

Taking coin photos without the big spender budget

[lehigh96]

Bully

 

All of my photographs are taken with a simple Canon Powershot SD880 IS Point & Shoot camera. Here is a link to another coin forum where I posted some tips.

 

What is the best method to photograph a slabbed coin?

 

That forum has a section dedicated to Numismatic Photography which is pretty cool, but membership is very low which is not so cool.

[jackson64]

I know it is going to sound contradictory ( and maybe even a little crazy) for someone who has won plaques for: "most creative signature set", a Best presented set" and also a "journal award"- also with one of my sets with 8,500 views and several others with 1,000+..contradictory sounding but I believe I have evolved into an IF collector.

 

Especially as I now have more raw coins and coins in albums than slabbed coins. Also, I have whole slabbed sets that I've never even added to the registry ( like multi-holder Prezzie PF69 sets, the few mocoms I like the design of, a Sac PF69 set, etc) also I've bought doubles of coins that I already own but the eye appeal is nice or unique and if the price is right for the lower grade I'll snag it ( this may be called hoarding?) Throw in some old-holdered ANACS coins that I keep meaning to get crossed someday, my mint-packed ASE proofs and anniversary sets..lots of stuff I collect that I never show and with the registry changes, less and less focus on filloing registry slots.

 

 

PS: I decided to build a nice wall display for my "previous #1" ranked Canadian Twonie set. Three of my big point gold coins were in PCGS slabs so the set dropped down to #5 although if all coins were calculated I would be well in first. I'm also trying to set-up an area to become more adept at photographing Walkers--so my interests in the hobby are still alive..I'm just trying to find other aspects to the hobby to enjoy also.

 

Maybe we all go through periods where certain things matter more and then wane. Right now I just am not that interested in awards, points or rankings--but I won't disclude the possibility that someday again I may get the competetive fire again to want to build a set of reknown......