Why do American Collectors Refer to non-U.S numismatics as the "Darkside"?

Here is a trivial but nevertheles interesting question to me.

I've come across the term "Darkside" in U.S coin forums a few times already, and i gather it is used to refer to all of numismatics outside of U.S coinage. I am curious.

My question is why?

To me darkside can either mean:

1. it is the Unknown, therefore dark
2. it is so vast and complex we don't dabble with it
3. we prefer U.S coins (the rest is nice, but that is it)

Does it cover Ancient coins as well in the minds of American collectors?

I don't mean to be provocative. Just want to be illuminated.

Thanks

Eduard

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I've used the term on these boards before, but just to be humorous. The "dark side" colloquialism just refers to an opposing viewpoint, but it has some negative connotations. That being said, it is typically used in an attempt to be funny.

And I don't collect "foreign" coins, just because there's too much to learn and keep track of. I've been collecting U.S. coins for 25 years, with a focus only on federal mint issues from 1793 to date, and I still can't even begin to scratch the surface of this body of knowledge.

 

As for me, I live in the US but collect mostly world coins...so I didn't get the "darkside" thing until someone explained it to me. I still find the "dark" aspect a bit funny.

As there's a lot of people in the here who collect US issues only, I guess it's natural to make some distinction. It must be that outside the US, nobody has come up with a name for non-domestic collecting such as "darkside".

 

The usage started on the Collectors Universe forum several years ago and has since spread widely.

The accepted terminology is "Darkside" for all non-US coins, "Greyside" for Canadians, and "Liteside" for US.

 

Here’s my theory as to why people use it and why the nickname has “stuck”:

It started as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the unknown and the distant, Eduard, as you mention in 1. and 2. in your opening post. As in, “the dark side of the globe,” the other side of the world.

But I think it has real staying power due to its association with Star Wars. It connotes something sinister (again, tonue-in-cheek) and seductive. Once you start to dabble in world coins, you get sucked further and further in…soon, your other American friends don’t know what you’re talking about. Whaddya mean, you’re learning about the Hejira calendar? Colonial coins of Africa? Son, just stick to buffalo nickels, or you’ll turn out like Mike. He spends hour after hour reading about Austrian commemoratives. None of us knows him anymore…

In short, I think it’s mostly used by Americans to poke fun at the typical American coin collector’s tendency to avoid non-U.S. coinage.

 

I totally disagree.

We Darksiders proudly call ourselves that to distinguish us from the plebeian mass of chauvinistic conformists whose world begins and ends at the US borders.

 

I collect only US coinage.

I am not plebeian.

I am not a member of a "mass".

I am not chauvinistic.

I am not a conformist.

And my world does not "begin and end at the US borders".

 

play nicely...

 

Phhh. When it comes to collecting coins, there is the Dull Side (US coins) and the Dark Side (everything else).

As for such terms, it is similarly strange in my opinion to refer to "US coins" vs "World coins". But that is a differentiation that is used outside the US too, except that then it would be "euro coins" vs "world coins" for example.

Another odd thing is calling the most common orientation for modern coins "medal alignment" only because the US still uses a different kind of alignment.

Christian

 

I collect mostly Scottish, but also Ukrainian and Russian. Most, like 95 percent of my collection is not USA, so I guess that the USA portion of my collection is darkside.

 

ever see Star Wars - The New Hope?

Ruben

 

But are you truly American? Show we give you the test?

 

Do it, do it, do it!

 

I don't know. I got so many infractions this week already.

1) On a warm summer afternoon while drinking a lunch time beer at the contruction site nice young office worker pops out of a building in a fresh springtime skirt.

Do you
A) Look the other way to avoid uncomfortable eye contact
B) Be - continue like nothing is happening because your charming looks will get her attention anyway, if and only if she is worthy and perceptive enough
C) Whip out your switchblade comb, preen your greased DA winged hairdoe, and then give out a good cat call.
D) Continue to discuss the vagrancies of better wines with your buddies.

 

I collect coins from the colorful side.

 

So does "The Joker"

 

The guy from Batman? Didn't know he was a numismatist.

 

Gees Ruben, haven't you yet perfected the art of the ogle? Surely it is a discussion you have to have with your soon to be teenage son. So he doesn't get clocked for looking at the bodacious you know whats on you know who.

 

Oh - he collected lots of coins.

 

I leave that to his Rabbium at the Sleepaway all boys Yeshiva he is in. Aside which, he's in Milwaukee and this particular senerio rarely can happen in Milwaukee.

RUben