Why are there so many more participants & posts across the street?

[IGWT]

[supertooth]

Hello----- I am lurking over there an awful lot----have signed up and could post there. But just have not done it. They seem to be a lot more "feisty" over there----to the point of many times not being nice to one another. And then they do not seem to want to "let it go"----makes it quite nasty at times. I enjoy the quiet on these boards----more sociable and much less fighting going on. Now the education that you get across the street is why I lurk there. And one day, I imagine that I will dive in and post an hello. But the information is here too. All you have to do is ask. Here, it is just more "laid back". Here we do not want to challenge people as if we were in a boxing ring and just had to "win at all costs" or "prove a point till we win". All of us here know who is good and who is just learning. Those of us who can help the others do it willingly and with a sense of understanding that once we were there too. Gosh knows I have learned an awful lot here and I thought I was pretty good about coins before I ever came and posted on these boards. Just proves that you can always learn some more if you will just "read and listen" and learn from those who have seen more coins than you have. Bob [supertooth]

[midwest]

First this forum was created later. Actually many of those ATS have accounts here. You ought to see how many 0 post accounts there are.

 

In the end each forum gets it's own flavor and vibe. No coin forum is really "better" than the other. In the end it is all about tradeoffs. So while it may be faster ATS how many are actually non noise threads?

 

In the end it all comes down to a personal preference.

[goose3]

it's the open forum

 

once you get sucked into that vortex......you're done!

[IGWT]

They seem to be a lot more "feisty" over there----to the point of many times not being nice to one another. And then they do not seem to want to "let it go"----makes it quite nasty at times.

 

That's my observation, too, which is why I decided to register here last month after visiting both boards for a long time. But your answer suggests that more people would want to post here instead of there. Midwest is right, I suppose; it's just a matter of finding the place that best fits one's personality.

 

I'll confess to being tempted to join the fray ATS on occasion. Visit over there, Bob, but beware of posting unless you want to risk the "Fresh Meat" hazing. Man, I love this place. (Maybe stealing a phrase will bring us some visits )

[michael]

[michael]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

many raw coin buyers for a few dollars then submit and get a coin worth hundreds to thousands of dollars and they have a venue to push and hawk and promote their wares

 

too cheap to get their own website and newsletters

 

think about it

 

follow the money

 

also on a smaller note every time i want to log into this ngc forums it takes forever to load and to switch forums it taKES FORever i have lost many years off of my life trying to use this website!!! and yesterday it would not load at all!! this happens about 20% of the time

 

over at pcgs never a problem to instantly log in fast and quick

 

hey ngc get with the program and do whatever you need to do to fix your server

[supertooth]

Hi IGWT----- Good to talk again. I am, now being retired a year, what you may call----A Relaxed Person---- Have slowed my life down to almost beyond belief "quiet". Have no desire to "stir the pot" even though I am sure that I could hold my own. But, other than knowledge, I care not to spend my time arguing a point that, in the face of eternity, matters not a tinker"s damn [showing my age with that remark]. I wish to no more compete with anyone at this point in my life than I want to confront a nest of angry hornets. I just want to learn some more about coins, enjoy my hobby, help others whenever I can and, certainly, make a few extra retirement bucks on occasion. Yet, there have been times when I feel that I could have helped someone ATS. The doctor in me continues to be a part of me and it has been hard for me to not post over there----especially when I think that my opinion might just matter a little. However, I am not good with computers and, if it were not for my wife and kids, I could never post any pictures, have a Registry set, or basically anything else on this machine. Heck, I do not fool with the icons----scared that I would mess up the reply. All of this has nothing to do with "coin smarts" but a lot to do with how you can convey that knowledge on a computer. If Tom B had not encouraged me, I would not even have been on these boards. But I like to talk and I try to give back some knowledge for that which I take away from these boards. So far, this side of the street seems to be better suited for the person that I am. But the IRISH in me might spring up one day and I might see something that is posted across the way that I just got to respond to. You just can never tell. Bob [supertooth]

[cladking]

I've heard it claimed that the correct usage is "tinker's dam". According to this version it is a technique used by a Tinker to repair a pot. (A Tinker is a sort of Irish Gypsy).

 

So many of these old phrases are fading away.

[James_OldeTowne]

"More participants" does not equate to "higher quality", in my opinion. I used to post at PCGS only, and it was OK - until I got banned. But I was never comfortable with how much baloney gets posted on that board.

 

The NGC forum is a much better environment for sensible discussion.

 

However, I agree with Michael: technically, the PCGS forum seems much faster and easier to navigate.

 

James

[IGWT]

According to this version it is a technique used by a Tinker to repair a pot. (A Tinker is a sort of Irish Gypsy).

 

Interesting . . . . but not quite responsive to the question. These are facts that are more on point: You joined the boards ATS on April 2002 and have 16706 Posts; You joined here in April 2002 and have 645 Posts.

 

Based on what I've read ATS, Cladking, your knowledge of "modern" coinage is even more impressive than your knowledge of old phrases. You certainly have more to contribute on the subject of this thread than the etymology of "tinker's dam." Help me to understand by answering my question. Thanks.

 

also on a smaller note every time i want to log into this ngc forums it takes forever to load and to switch forums it taKES FORever i have lost many years off of my life trying to use this website!!! and yesterday it would not load at all!! this happens about 20% of the time

 

Agreed. Is anybody listening?

[cladking]

 

Interesting . . . . but not quite responsive to the question. These are facts that are more on point: You joined the boards ATS on April 2002 and have 16706 Posts; You joined here in April 2002 and have 645 Posts.

 

Based on what I've read ATS, Cladking, your knowledge of "modern" coinage is even more impressive than your knowledge of old phrases. You certainly have more to contribute on the subject of this thread than the etymology of "tinker's dam." Help me to understand by answering my question. Thanks.

 

 

Understandably I get very little response to most of what I post, so I tend to react much more than I instigate. There simply isn't as much to respond to here. Initially I found the software here a little intimidating but over the years it's improved and I've learned how to use it.

 

Keep in mind that there are very few people who have any interest in moderns and most are ATS. I do my best to keep up here and even check the watercooler frequently. If the modern people came over here, I'd follow.

 

...and then you'd have to put up with 16,000 cheat posts, too.

[CTcollector]

SUPERTOOTH - We are on the same page again. I am also registered with PCGS - but have not yet posted. Mostly, for the same reasons mentioned already by yourself and others. There is way too much testosterone over there. Its just not for me. Don't get me wrong, I do lurk and get pick up some good knowledge as well as some occassional entertainment value.

 

I guess the bottom line for me is I believe NGC is clearly more committed to the hobby and the collector. That is why I chose to register my sets on NGC and participate on these boards versus PCGS.

[chinook]

I, as well as many, that post here also post across the street. My posts are fairly well divided between the two.

 

I think there are many more modern collectors ATS and there are a lot of posts on post 1964 coinage. This board seems to have a more "classic" feel to it.

 

However this board can be rediculously slow to load and refresh. Hey Arch....Can you work on this?

[supertooth]

AMEN---CTcollector. Yes, testosterone would be a good word for ATS. But, over here, we seem to have mellowed a little. Or maybe it is that they are still competing in the race because a lot more of their livelihood depends on their success? Maybe a little more of the "dealer" mentality is present on the PCGS boards? After all, I am a collector. I can "make" myself think like a dealer and I understand that thinking process---although I do not always agree with it. But I spent my life fixing teeth not buying and selling coins. So me being "intense" over a coin or a series of coins probably is not the same intensity as a person who may be feeding his family by whatever decisions that he or she might make?? And, as a collector, I can maybe "outbid" all the others on occasion. Why? Because I am still "filling those holes in those old Whitman folders"----just as I was doing 40-50 years ago. Whereas someone else maybe has to set the limit on what he can bid---as he must look at a "resale" but I do not have that problem. So I can bid a little more. Maybe my knowledge----and my bidding----is "hurting" his profit margins a little. Not me in particular but "all the fairly knowledgable collectors" put together? Maybe they are a little nasty cause the computer world and Ebay and the Telemarket people etc.etc. have dug into their once isolated realm?? Just remember that 10--15 years ago all this was not happening and it is growing almost every day as we speak. If I was a dealer and had all these guys infringing on my profession and into my pocketbook, maybe I would be a little cocky and a little "FLIP" when I responded to them on the boards. I am just offering maybe a little different thought pattern here. It is maybe that it isn"t that they do not like us collectors---because we may be business for them----but it is maybe that we are getting a little too smart. The "knowledgable" collector is not as gullible as he or she was in the past years. So maybe on the other boards they relish the "new meat" as a way of venting a little?? Poking fun or "hunting for a little excitement" is their way of venting a little. Except that ATS it can get out of hand---and go way overboard. I hope IGWT does not get mad at me for rambling! See---over here I am trying to apologize before I am even yelled at. I cannot see that happening across the street. Bob [supertooth]

[IGWT]

I hope IGWT does not get mad at me for rambling!

 

You're kidding, right? I'm glad that you're sharing your thoughts. Starting a thread is pointless unless you're willing to listen to what others have to say.

[supertooth]

Hello IGWT-----Yes, I was mostly kidding. But not entirely. For I wish to not offend anyone over a coin or an opinion of a coin. For sure, I can hold up my end of any disagreement. But what would be the point here on these boards? It would make noone any money and heck, most of us will never meet in person. Although I would love to have a beer or a coke with many of you. And talk coins over lunch or dinner. But I rarely go to Baltimore Show these days. It is not that I would not go, it is that I rarely find anything that I collect. The dealers have gobbled all the good ones up on Thursdays I guess. I get there on Friday. The last three shows----I have bought just one Walker. I had the money but they either did not have or would not sell what I needed or wanted. Most guys just laugh when I ask for "original" pre 1933 Walkers in XF--Au---unc condition. Oh sure, I get offered the cleaned or dipped or scratched etc. etc. but rarely do I see a legit piece. That is why I keep telling everyone that the coins are not out there. Same with Barber halves and most Seated coins. If you collect in VF--Au range and want totally original pieces for your set, you better have a lot of patience and a lot of years to work on the set. I have sent my son, Dave, down one isle and I go the other one. I tell him to meet me in the middle. Very rarely does he ever come to me smiling. It is always---it is either [embarrasing lack of self control] or priced so high that it is beyond my reach. Or even worse--they are slabbed but dipped or hairlined or both or overgraded. But, I plod along on Ebay. It is amazing how many truly nice people will sell just a few coins that they have found. I have nursed so many of them through that week or ten days. Now you just be patient and someone will bid 500--1000--1500 on your half. Imagine saying that to someone who is not a coin person and the bid is only 6 bucks with just a couple of hours to go. The line---"HAVE FAITH"---only goes so far. But a lot of you "might" be amazed at how many of these people that I have found and helped and, in some cases, still communicate with----years later. I have had people pull their coins off---sent them to TPGS---and then had them put the coins back onto Ebay.I have made a few dealers "HATE ME" on more than a few occasions. I have 4 Tokens that I discovered for one lady that will be auctioned off by ANR sometime late this year. They were R8 and R9 tokens. She and I had to "buy" the books to find them and I sent them to NGC . It took me months to get it straight. I emailed Mr. Bowers myself in her behalf. The stories that I could tell. And sure, I bid and win many of these coins. But I am straight forward and I have never taken a cent for any of my help. I enjoy the "thank you" emails after the sale is over. And by talking, you know that most of them "REALLY DO" need the money. And it does your heart good to know that you have helped them to get a "fair" price for their coins. And yes, on occasion, it has cost me a few bucks too. Sometimes I do too good of a job in helping. But all of this is part of the "HUNT". And I learn a whole bunch of stuff as I go along too. For example, I have read more about tokens in this last year than I have in 50 years of collecting. It was interesting. Bob [supertooth]

[EZ_E]

OK, OK, UNCLE... I give up.... what the heck does "ATS" mean??

 

 

[IGWT]

Hi Victor --

 

With Midwest now messing with your signature picture, I have to look twice to make sure whose posting.

 

ATS = Across The Street, referring to the PCGS boards.

 

Edited to Add: BTW, blame Midwest for using the ATS acronym -- he started it in the third post on this thread.

[TomB]

A similar thread was posted a few months ago by Mozin and I believe there will be more information for you if you read that, too.

[supertooth]

Tom B-----As usual, I thank you for bringing up the old thread that was started by Mozin. In this case, it confirms my suspicions that certain TPGS might indeed, on occasion, dip coins without permission before slabbing them. I had been told this by a PCGS dealer out of Annapolis, Maryland. But Oldtrader3 seems to be a victim in real life. I am afraid that, if that were done to a coin of mine, without my permission, I would not have left it alone. Somehow I would have gotten my pound of flesh. That would have brought my Irish temper to the hair on the back of my neck. Anyway, this is why I only use NGC and ANACS and this is another reason why I only post on these boards. And, by the way, am glad to find out that everything with you was OK. Hadn"t seen you post for awhile and I, for one, missed your input and knowledge. Bob [supertooth]

[IGWT]

A similar thread was posted a few months ago by Mozin and I believe there will be more information for you if you read that, too.

 

Thanks for the link to the earlier thread (a really good read until it transmutes into a discussion on Lucy-Bop's car Not that I don't like T-Birds and their owners ) I didn't realize that this ground had already been ploughed.

 

BTW, good topic, Mozin

[jtryka]

I left the other side a couple years ago and have never looked back. I like it over here, it's more my speed and temperment. I often don't have time to wade through a hundred threads to find the one that might interest me, but here there are fewer threads to wade through, and often more that strike my interest. This is a hobby for me, what I do to relax, and I seldom find arguing relaxing. Plus, I like the level of experienced collectors here willing to share their knowledge, that's very helpful. And there are many folks here that I wouldn't mind meeting for a beer and some pizza, and in the past I have! It all comes down to personal preferences, and although not everything is perfect here, it certainly fits better with my idea of a hobby-enhancing experience.