Why do we get some many non and new collectors posting common cents on our boards?

Sounds similar to the bad tequila experience I had back in college.

OK, OK . . . several bad tequila experiences.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

There's a dirty little secret of "the good old days" that some people seem to overlook: books can lie, too. Sure, YouTube is full of garbage -- but my childhood library's science section was full of books on ancient astronauts, Velikovsky, the Bermuda Triangle and more, all of which I gobbled up uncritically. It took me years to flush it all out of my system.

Then, as now, critical thinking was important. It wasn't the Internet that gave birth to nonsense.

 

I started coin collecting when I was at 711 and people were doing their scratchers thing. I looked at a roll of pennies and thought the odds could be any worse and if I didn't find anything I get my money back. Turns out there's alot more to it and if or when I do find anything I'm probably gonna keep it cuz edited, it takes alot of work to find them. But none the less, everyone starts somehow or someway.

 

Yes! I loved reading "Chariots of the Gods" when I was so small as to not understand or refute most of it. It at least introduced me to some other cultures, but in ways that, as you said, I had to "unlearn" later. It sold extremely well at the time, in the millions upon millions. So yes, books are not immune to false information or dubious claims either. The Internet just made the practice more accessible.

 

True, but the internet also made fact checking easier also if you stick with qualified sources. Jim

 

I see your points, Yet I have a habit of looking at folks previous posts to get a handle on their habits. I rarely see any members recently jump on a first post, unless antagonized. We all have to remember this place is a melting pot of different personalities and emotions.

This is my opinion also, could be the different time zones.

 

Randy: I'll not take blame for it's our fault. How many of us Grandparent/Parents have tried to introduce : stamps, coins, model trains, etc. and the younger folks...yawn. I'll concur with everything else posted previously and just add the following: In my other areas of interest, for example, folks will ask simple questions akin to "What years were Lincoln Wheats minted?" I'll reply: "Google it an get many answers." The response over half the time is hostile. So I post the Google link and ask? "Now what?" It is a function, as stated above, of pure laziness AND the immediate gratification syndrome... Not sure how to solve it, but I'll continue the fight to make folks work a "bit harder" after the beg for simple material available at "their fingertips".

 

Gee, with this overly negative atttude, it’s a wonder you don’t inspire more collectors to join...

 

And your response is typical... We introduce kids, super. Yet, on the net it is gimme gimme. I don't do this in person, only on the net with the lazy folks. Do not take what I was indicating, just look at all the posts here everyday with "give me the answer" and the constant "read the Redbook" "no it is worthless", etc. If you condone it as OK, fine I'm wrong. If not, it's an observation, based on experience, you may differ with. But, answer the post with clarity rather the judge me, as per attitude.

 

Self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

I began collecting because coins had increasing value and historical significance.
Circulating coins today have no intrinsic value or significance.

 

It's not the mintages that make so many moderns nearly worthless; it's lack of interest. How ironic that one of the primary reasons for lack of interest is newbies are told moderns are junk. Don't get me wrong here, there are several reasons and nearly one for all 7 billion people who don't collect them.

As an example take the '70-S sm dt cent. This is a very common coin because 10% of 1970 mint sets have one. About half of these are gone now but that leaves over 100,000 surviving examples. It's more common than a '16-D dime and wholesales at around $40. Now compare this to a '69 quarter. There are 80,000,000 in circulation but these are all culls and heavily worn. Finding a nice clean coin in F or better will take you months. There are only half a million mint sets left and most of these have very poorly made, scratched up, and tarnished quarters. Fewer than 4% of coins are nice attractive chBU or better. This means other than in several hundred collections there are only ~20,000 nice chBU '69 quarters. Redbook lists it as a $3 coin and unc rolls whole at 75c per coin. Very few Unc rolls will have any chBU coins because they are assembled from mint sets.

There are numerous tough cents too but they are far harder to identify because they are masked by low demand. You can't tell a common roll from a scarce roll because both will probably list for $1. Try finding a nice attractive '84 with nice surfaces. No doubt there are still many of these in circulation in AU and higher but if someone posts one we generally aren't going to realize how special it really is.

Of course this brings us to another question of why so much road kill gets posted. It takes time and effort to sign up and post a question with follow-up pictures. It seems apparent that most of those doing this legitimately believe their coin is potentially valuable. Without experience and knowledge almost any coin might appear scarce and damage can be mistaken for mint error. How do you google a specific coin with specific damage?

Finally there are a few people that seem to be trolls. Not the ones with several posts but the ones that get "abused" so they come back under another name to get "even".

 

A brand new 1969 quarter that Neil Armstrong left in his locker before going to the moon has no historical significance? How about the '67 quarter that was used as a tool when the internet was first hooked up? How many of the coins in circulation marched to Selma or witness the collapse of the World Trade Center?

History didn't stop in 1965 when the mint stopped making real coins forever.

 

I always wondered how you all felt when the same questions are asked over and over and over.. It seemed that some would make fun of it, others respond to the question sarcastically and some answered. But after reading all these How much is it worth questions. Hell even I can answer a question because I have read the thread so many times.. FIRST THING Post a picture so the Coin Geeks can dissect the pic and that's when the learning begins.... at least for me...….. One ask Why DONT YOU RESEARCH IT... Its allot easier to ask you all... the only I can come up with...….TRUTH...…...

 

My wife and I travel a lot. Sometimes we have to shop for groceries. Now back home, we can be in and out in thirty minutes with what we need. In a different store, it can take more time to hunt down items. It would be much quicker if we asked someone where things were. I go to a hardware store, I don't want to run all around just to find what I need when I can get someone who can lead me right to it. Which is why I tolerate those who ask what may be simple questions to you. Yes, if they're going to collect coins the Red Book is essential and should be their first go-to, but we also get those who do their research on YouTube, which is mostly a waste of time. Unless you like watching car crash videos like me!

 

I am very new to this collecting thing but I post coins to get opinions on the ones I get to see if I am getting the hang of this or not. I value those opinions on this board and want to see if I am on track or not. I know it's frustrating seeing worthless coins sometimes and newbs THINK they know things but for me it's about learning as I am really starting to get into this...I think.../wink

 

True, for some time after 1965 people used coins, but not anymore.
Current denominations are obsolete.

Interesting fact: 1964 silver coins were minted until April 1966...to create the impression that the coins weren't being hoarded.

 

I generally agree. Government encourages electronic money so we can be tracked and has inflated the value out of coins. Even the currency is no longer usable for much besides trifles. It's easy to blow a few c-notes at Whole foods.

Pennies are less than worthless.

Quarters are the new one cent coin.