Do academic degrees in numismatics or history…

[RWB]

….or archeology influence your level of confidence in the degree holder?

[BillJones]

In a word NO.

 

I know of two dealers who push the academic degree thing in their marketing plan. One of them is a good guy ...

 

So far as the history part goes, I'll look at how they look at history. Since I've read hundreds of history books from different points of view I've learned that you can twist history pretty much the way you want to if you a determined to approach it from a political point of view.

[HCumberdale]

In general, an academic degree in whatever field will increase my confidence in the degree holder when it comes to practicing whatever they hold a degree in. Furthermore, licensure within that field will proivide me even more confidence.

 

More important than either of the above is my direct experience with the professional. There are far too many quacks in my profession with a degree and license to practice that end up causing more damage than good. I suppose the same is true for many professions.

[James_OldeTowne]

Do academic degrees in numismatics or history… ….or archeology influence your level of confidence in the degree holder?

Just on the face of it, either would be a positive influence for me. After all, it's my enjoyment of history that actually has propelled my interest in collecting coins.

 

To put it another way, if I attempted to engage a coin seller in conversation, and it soon became clear that he knew absolutely nothing about history or numismatics, it would unquestionably be a negative influence. I would find it difficult to do business with that person.

 

 

[Mr.Mcknowitall]

No.

 

But (blah,blah) I am considering myself as the individual being judged by others, so.......my answer might be quite different in another context.

 

Respectfully,

John Curlis

[BillJones]

In general, an academic degree in whatever field will increase my confidence in the degree holder when it comes to practicing whatever they hold a degree in. Furthermore, licensure within that field will proivide me even more confidence.

 

More important than either of the above is my direct experience with the professional. There are far too many quacks in my profession with a degree and license to practice that end up causing more damage than good. I suppose the same is true for many professions.

 

You can graduate from college and still be ignorant. Years ago when I lived in Massachusetts they give the teaches a battery of tests to see if they could do math or read at the 8th grade level. Some of them flunked. This started a controversy that helped propel a man named John Silber into the governor's race. He was president of Boston College or Boston University, I forget which one.

 

When I went to undergraduate school in the late 1960s, one could flunk out if they were not cut out for college, lazy, stoned or drunk. Now I think that there are colleges that more interested in tuition than education. Or at least that's my impression.

 

 

[Arizonadesertrat]

No--degrees like those have been used as marketing tools and that's about it.

[coinman1794]

Do academic degrees in numismatics or history… ….or archeology influence your level of confidence in the degree holder?

Just on the face of it, either would be a positive influence for me. After all, it's my enjoyment of history that actually has propelled my interest in collecting coins.

 

To put it another way, if I attempted to engage a coin seller in conversation, and it soon became clear that he knew absolutely nothing about history or numismatics, it would unquestionably be a negative influence. I would find it difficult to do business with that person.

 

 

I agree with you, James. Further, a degree in History, Numismatics, and/or archaeology could be very useful if actually put to work in the coin field. Artifact preservation studies could also benefiet this industry in untold ways.

[DaveG]

Demonstrations of expertise in numismatics, history or archeology would certainly influence my level of confidence in a person who is engaged in performing an "act" of numismatics, history or archeology, but the simple possession of a "sheepskin" doesn't do much for me.

 

I've met alleged "historians" who can't craft a coherent essay expressing their point of view or who make "death-defying" leaps of illogic trying to connect Fact A to Fact B.

 

I've also met self-educated historians who are as careful in their research and conclusions as the best trained academic historians I've ever known.

[ComicConnoisseur]

In a word NO.

 

I know of two dealers who push the academic degree thing in their marketing plan. One of them is a good guy ...

 

So far as the history part goes, I'll look at how they look at history. Since I've read hundreds of history books from different points of view I've learned that you can twist history pretty much the way you want to if you a determined to approach it from a political point of view.

 

(thumbs u

[michael]

no no no no no no no no no no no

 

in a word

 

NO!!

[cpm9ball]

A person can have all the "BlAh-BlAh this" and "Pee-Pee that" after their name, but if they can't express themselves in a clear and concise manner, what good is it?

 

To me, it's like "buy the coin, not the plastic"............"consider the person, not the sheepskin".

 

Chris

[coinman1794]

A person can have all the "BlAh-BlAh this" and "Pee-Pee that" after their name, but if they can't express themselves in a clear and concise manner, what good is it?

 

To me, it's like "buy the coin, not the plastic"............"consider the person, not the sheepskin".

 

Chris

 

On that note, what about those who do have degrees and do know what they are talking about?

[Mr.Mcknowitall]

A person can have all the "BlAh-BlAh this" and "Pee-Pee that" after their name, but if they can't express themselves in a clear and concise manner, what good is it?

 

To me, it's like "buy the coin, not the plastic"............"consider the person, not the sheepskin".

 

Chris

 

On the note, what about those who do have degrees and do know what they are talking about?

 

A very good question.

But (blah,blah), do they know because of the Degree, or because of experience?

 

As an example, I recall being at a major teaching hospital on a day that Residents were reporting.

 

A Nurse remarked "Don't use the ER for the next few months."

 

Respectfully,

John Curlis

[cpm9ball]

A person can have all the "BlAh-BlAh this" and "Pee-Pee that" after their name, but if they can't express themselves in a clear and concise manner, what good is it?

 

To me, it's like "buy the coin, not the plastic"............"consider the person, not the sheepskin".

 

Chris

 

On the note, what about those who do have degrees and do know what they are talking about?

 

That's a different story. All I'm saying is that you can't judge a book by it's cover.

 

Right, Roger?

 

Which reminds me..........what is the status on your release date?

 

Chris

[RWB]

Chris: release date.

 

The two books, From Mine to Mint (Which has been discussed here) and National Gold are going to be pushed back so I can concentrate on the book United States Patterns and Experimental Pieces of World War II.

 

The latter book is taking precedence because of available research opportunities, and because it is a subject that can be fully defined and largely closed within one slim (under 200 pages), but densely packed volume. The other two are more complicated and there are no specific, high value research opportunities for either of them. The United States Patterns and Experimental Pieces of World War II book has been copy edited and I hope to do the final technical updates soon after the ANA is over – if the final research access is granted.

 

(PS: Copy editing is not a trivial expense. Even this small book cost nearly $1,000 to have the work done by a skilled professional.)

[cpm9ball]

Thanks for the update, Roger.

 

Chris

[RWB]

Sure...These are some of the advantages/disadvantages of not having to follow a publisher's release schedule. But it creates the undesirable and awkward situation of not being able to give collectors a "firm date" for publication.

[messydesk]

Everyone I work with has an academic degree, and yet every one had to be interviewed to get their job. Furthermore, everyone I've interviewed and rejected also had an academic degree related to the job for which they were applying.

[Kurtdog]

[Do academic degrees in numismatics or history…]….or archeology influence your level of confidence in the degree holder?

Well of course! Until they say something really dumb.

[World Colonial]

No, why would it? Experience and perhaps references are what matters.

 

[Mokiechan]

. The United States Patterns and Experimental Pieces of World War II book has been copy edited and I hope to do the final technical updates soon after the ANA is over – if the final research access is granted.

 

Subject sounds fascinating, this is a book I need to put on my front burner.

 

Malcolm

[RWB]

Malcolm,

It's about the U.S. 1- and 5-cent experiments made in 1941-1944 when copper and nickel were critical war materials. I'm not sure if you call it a book or a monograph - it's about 170 pages long. These are almost totally unknown to collectors, and what little has been published in the Judd or Pollock pattern books is mostly speculation and misinformation.

 

It will be a small edition due to the specialty nature of the subject.

 

[Mokiechan]

Thank Roger,

Please let us know when your book is published. I will be anxious to add to my library.

Malcolm

[delta]

In order to have asked that leading question, RWB must have come across a fair number of instances where degreed individuals were incompetent, or did shoddy work, and probably most of us have experienced such scenarios.

 

In a separate thread about research, started here by someone else, RWB today posted this comment about Leland Howard who succeeded Mary O'Reilly as an important career officer of the US mint: "I found and read his doctoral dissertation – absolutely awful, with no originality or meaningful analysis."

 

Getting an advanced degree is often just a matter of plugging away at it, maybe even getting lots of help from others, paid and unpaid.

[TomB]

In order to have asked that leading question, RWB must have come across a fair number of instances where degreed individuals were incompetent, or did shoddy work, and probably most of us have experienced such scenarios.

 

In a separate thread about research, started here by someone else, RWB today posted this comment about Leland Howard who succeeded Mary O'Reilly as an important career officer of the US mint: "I found and read his doctoral dissertation – absolutely awful, with no originality or meaningful analysis."

 

Getting an advanced degree is often just a matter of plugging away at it, maybe even getting lots of help from others, paid and unpaid.

 

My wife and I both have earned PhD degrees; hers in chemistry and mine in molecular biology and biochemistry. About twenty-years ago, just months after she received her PhD, we were sitting on the couch and she said to me that in her opinion the PhD really only proved that someone could stick with a long term project (six or seven years work) and see it to its completion. I had never thought of it that way prior to her statement, but there was plenty of truth in her words. Both of us had earned our degrees through lots of careful, insightful work that was important in our respective fields, but we were also aware of folks who worked just hard enough and got just enough valid results to eventually earn the degree.

[coinman_23885]

No.