Contest:Contest (TWO contests!)

Okay, here goes:

This contest has two entries:

#1: Open to all YN (21 and younger.) I will choose the winner based on the who I feel answers the question most thoughtfully, and will mail the prize free of charge to the winner (or the winner's guardian if they are a minor.) I will say that those answering in two sentences or less (i.e., you maybe thought about it for ten seconds) will be placed at the back of the field...

#2: Open to all CT members regardless of age. Winners of contest #1 are not eligible for contest #2 (same household rules apply; in other words, I won't mail two prizes to the same address.)

Start time: now
End time: March 22, 11:59 pm

One post only, so think about your answer before you post!

The question:

If you could design an online course on the subject of a numismatic area, what would it be, and what information/tips/materials would you like it to contain? This is a course designed to help those NEW to coin collecting.

The prizes (from my personal collection):

1977 D Kennedy Half DDO FS-101 NGC AU55​

Prize #2: 1940 Mercury Dime "Minor DDR" ANACS AU58
(I don't have this photographed yet, but I will before the end of the contest)​

 

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Is contest 2 the same question as contest 1, but with a different prize?

 

Yes, same question.

 

Can I divide my age by 3. I would only be 20. Nice contest!

 

Beginning a coin collection and adopting the title "numismatist" is a perilous task for one without mentorship. Just getting to know what you like, what you can spend, and the best places to expand your collection is difficult enough, but there are even more skills required to truly enjoy this fine hobby. Perhaps the most difficult to learn for an amateur is the accurate grading of coins. Grading coins is an art, and it's one being left to professional corporations by many collectors. Should we continue this trend? I think not! The art of grading coins is imperative in this hobby and mastery or simply proficiency in this skill will set a dedicated numismatist apart from a simple hobbyist content with collecting slabs labeled with another beings opinion. We can liberate new and old collectors alike from the tyrannical fetters of professionally graded coins if we invested resources into an interactive online course designed to teach first, the basics of coin grading, and then hone those skills through further development.
An online course would be very easy to build and could be based off of the simple model found in the American Numismatic Association Grading Standards reference book that every numismatist probably has on his or her shelf. The only problem with this resource is that it lacks interactivity and fails to make comparisons between ANA standards and actual received grades for coins graded by companies like PCGS or NGC. The online course would include picture based quizzes where the student would assign grades to coins, the course would then offer a "true" grade along with an explanation based upon strict standards outlined within the course. So this course would act very similarly to grading standards book resources, in that it would serve as an index, but the proficiency quizzes and individualized mentoring functions would differentiate it from a simple pictorial resource and augment the course. To stick with the theme of escaping the slab cycle, the course would also offer comparisons between received grades and true grades on professionally graded coins to highlight the inconsistent and sometimes erroneous grades that these companies handout.
This course would greatly help a newcomer to grow in the hobby and would break the trend of buying coins not based on the COIN but instead based on the assigned GRADE. After all, the hobby isn't about plastic slabs, it is about coins. This course would also allow graduates to cherry pick the perfect coins based on their own knowledge of grading instead of paying ridiculous premiums for a corporate seal of approval. This course is needed now more than ever. Don't let another coin become encased in a plastic tomb with a phony numeric grave marker.

 

Introduction - This part would inform the student what the class is about, and a small history on the subject.

Numismatics 101- This part of the course would delve into how Numismatics came about, what it is exactly we are doing, and how much fun it is. What you should do in proper handling and etc.

History - This part of the course will go over the most popular and least popular, along with some mid ground Numismatic coins.

What and Why - In this section of the course we are going to learn about real life situations, and give you a feel for what to do if you happen to stumble on a big find. The necessary actions to take.

Sooner or Later - We will use this last part for deep conversation on the topic and answer any questions you might have.


Thanks!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EDIT: My graph has spelling error's. Still...

 

I would design a course estimated to take about an hour total. It would have a series of short videos so anyone taking it could move along at their own pace. There would be offered short knowledge questions in the form of a quiz to check knowledge gained from the previous video. These quizzes would be simple and allow the person taking it to know right away if their answer was 'correct' or it would give the correct answer before going on to the next question.

This course would introduce the YN to experiencing what 'wear' is on a coin, how and where to look for this, and learning to identify the high spots of any coin by looking at the design and devices/fields. It would then go into what luster is and how to determine what amount, if any, luster remains on a coin. A section would also be added to show how toning affects luster.

I am not a YN, but I am still learning this piecemeal, and I still find it challenging to learn this on my own. I think this is something that is essential if someone is to learn how to grade a coin and especially to learn to tell an uncirculated coin from apone with some wear.

 

correction: one, not 'apone' ^

 

Here's my idea for an online ancient coin class:

The class is divided into 10 to 8 sections. There's no time limit for completion of the class. At the beginning of the course students receive a list of useful websites for references for the course. The 1st sections, 1-2, go over the history of ancient coinage - how it began and how it spread through out the world - and what metals were used at the start of coinage. After the introduction of the class, Roman, Greek, Ottoman, and other ancient coinage is discussed, with videos and high quality (AJ quality) pictures depicting different types of coins, how they were minted, where they were minted, what portraits/details were on the coins, etc. Throughout the class, major issues that are in high demand from each field are discussed. One or two sections devoted to the different denominations that the coins were minted in, and how to tell them apart, are offered closer to the end of the class. At the conclusion of the course is a test that the student takes. He/she is tested on the basic knowledge of coin collecting.

During the course, online live sections from the class are offered. The live sessions include guest speakers: TIF, JA, AJ, Steve, Bing, Eng, Vlaha, Mat, ancientnut, Randy(geki), Okidoki, Pish(Pash), the mighty Doug, maridvnvm, medoraman, Ancientnoob (if I missed anyone plz tell me ), and other experts in the field. In these live sessions, the guest speakers talk about what they like to collect, what they look for on a coin, and discuss/answer questions with the students.

The class coordinators organize groups at big coins shows like FUN and the ANA Money conventions. This is an excellent learning experience for the beginners - they can meet with "ancient" coiners in person at these shows to talk about or show off their collections with other people.

Note: will edit in future.

 

I think that for a YN or just a noobie like myself, the most intimidating thing is getting taken advantage of. I feel like there are a lot of places that try to "nickel and dime" everybody that wants to collect coins, and there are a lot of places that care about the hobby and offer fair pricing. I watch a lot of coin shows on TV and they all seem like a big scam, whereas Ebay seems to be the fairest place to buy coins from. But I honestly have no idea. I primarily CRH but that is because I don't know what the most reliable places to spend my money are.

Should I have paid the $190 for the roll of pennies on ebay that had a VDB on both ends of the roll? I don't know! I didn't actually place a bid on the roll, but are people trustworthy on ebay? Or are there better online sources for coins? Or should I give my local coin shop a try?

I know that understanding the value of any given coin is the best way to know if you are getting taken advantage of, but knowing where to start buying would be the best for me. I am very afraid of over paying for coins.

Selling would be the next thing I am afraid of. I had no idea about the capital gains tax that you have to pay on silver, gold, or collectibles. I found out about it from a friend who I was telling about my new hobby. I haven't sold any coins yet, but if I had, I could have not paid the proper tax. And I KNOW the IRS isn't an entity you want to mess with.

To sum it all up. A course that could teach me the most responsible way to handle my money while continuing in Numismatics would be very helpful. It could be very broad or very general. But as a 23 year old who doesn't have a lot of extra money lying around, I realize I could either start making a little extra side money, or dig myself into a financial mess if I am not informed on what I am doing.

Thank you for reading my post.

 

On your second paragraph, I would stay away from those rolls. They are "made up" rolls just to get newbies and otherwise uninformed collectors to bid these up to ridiculous prices. And even if the two end coins are nice you have no idea what the condition is of those two coins because you cannot see them. Try to build a relationship with your local coin shop dealer after you have read and done due diligence on researching the coins you are interested in. If your dealer is honest and wants your return business he/she will treat you fairly.

 

If I had to decide on an online course I would have it set into different categories so that individuals could choose according to their personal preferences.
Level 1: This would focus on just a basic introduction to the hobby for someone who had no or very little knowledge. There would be basic important terms, an introduction to grading terms (in depth grading comes later) and just the general history and tips to the hobby; don't impulse buy, be patient and other helpful hints that I wished I had when I started. This section will be short and easy to help the new person so they don't feel like they are being overwhelmed with a rush of information.
Level 2: This would start getting into grading and detail. There would be photos to help them grade (something large like a silver dollar to help them focus in on the details) along with a guide on how to spot luster and cleaning. This section would have a lot of focus because honestly this is one of the most important aspects of this hobby. Plus we can all always approve on our grading.
Level 3: Now with the basics of collecting gone over and a growing level of grading skills we actually go into collecting. This talks about the different ways to collect; complete U.S. type set? Denominations? Year sets? This section will discuss the importance of deciding on what you want to collect and focus in on that. Because a problem that many new collectors (myself included) have is trying to collect everything. It is important to focus, focus focus.
Level 4: Here we learn about the many ways of buying coins and the pros and cons that come with each. Tell them to look at a variety of sources; local dealers, Ebay, other online auctions and compare what is around. When one opens themselves to many options they can make better choices.
The most important tool in collecting is KNOWLEDGE, that's what this website is focused on doing. Not trying to teach them absolutely everything at once, but teaching them to think! If they know to think and take there time, to do research when they don't understand, they will come out on top.

This is for the second contest BTW

 

Question two. My if I were to create an online course that was designed for school that would help out I would have to go with history and appreciation of art this class is designed to make the eye notice the little details and train you to pay attention a little bit better than you normally would

 

question number 1 this is from peaches daughter I would definitely go with art or history because all kinds of different in their own way the pretty and history is because each one of those are put out for a reason

 

In response to question 1-
The hardest part of creating a successful online course would be not only to have interesting material for beginner numismatists, but also to have the ability to harness their interests in the subject and keep them interested for an extended period of time. Grabbing the interest of someone new to the hobby would be the number one priority for a successful online numismatics course.
I would achieve this by having a nice, updated website that is user friendly for any interested in the subject. A drab, boring, and ill-designed website would only turn away potential hobbyists. At this point, I would place highlights on certain interesting numismatic subjects. American coin history, world numismatics, ancient numismatics, and European numismatic history would all be highlighted courses, along with other subjects that could potentially be areas of interest for new collectors. Later, courses for more advanced subjects, like coin grading and economics, would be offered.
The trick to keeping the interest of these new numismatists would be to make the education part as interesting as possible. The textbook style education where one reads from a book and takes notes would not be the fashion in which I would educate people on. Interactive exercises would be a focus, but reading would also be part of the course, as it is unavoidable in any form of education. All courses would not be rushed in order to have as much useful information as possible to get the prospective hobbyists excited about numismatics, and the courses would also not be dragged on indefinitely to keep that excitement going.
At the end of each course, a test will be presented to the student in order to finish the course. Any grade below 90% on the test will not be enough to get a certificate of completion, but all missed questions will be highlighted and the student can go back to read up on what they missed and take the test again as many times as they want.
The goal of this course would be to be as informative as possible without losing the interest of those taking it. Achieving this would expand the hobby and start a generation of new, excited numismatists.

 

If I were designing a online course for teaching numismatics i would definitly gear it towards errors, but before you learn about errors you would need to know the overview of collecting. Before the first chapter there would be a mini chapter (not that it isn't important but there isn't too much info to be had) on handling coins. I'd probably make this section in red text to show how important it is). Probably a couple of pages mostly on how to hold a coin from the rim and care and storage, like a before you can read the book you must read this. There would be (if you think of it like a book) chapters, first chapter being "designs" where all the designs are shown and explained with a little history, so in later chapters when a coin is refered to as "barber" or "seated liberty" you know what is being described. The second chapter would be about the minting process. I feel like it is important to know how a coin is made before you start collecting. The third chapter would be about mintages, mintage figures, and values. I want people to understand that, just becasue a coin has a low mintage doesn't mean its valuable (supply and demand). The fourth chapter would be about grading coins. It would have examples from every series in every grade. I have the book "The Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins (6th edition)" and i find it very helpful to grade my coins accurately. My former MS 62s became AU 50s . The fifth chapter would be about errors, but this would take up more than half the book. I would include error name, population figures (like for example in 2004 approximately x amount were minted with this defect with y amount destroyed), full color pictures, and most importantly how it happened. When you know how something happened you tend to remember and learn it better. (i.e. The war ended in 2016, the war ended in 2016 because the British surrendered). There would be various pictures for each error, in different denominations. It would be a helpful resource for collectors new and old. The sixth chapter would include a cherry pickers guide, but not a full on cherry pickers guide, just a "things to look out for" section. Commonly missed things by old (old as experience not age) collectors. The seventh chapter would include things to look for that show a coin is fake (lots of pictures also). After every chapter there would be a quiz with questions pertaining to the topic. Like for errors it would be pictures and you would have to find out which error it is etc. And then at the end there would be a glossary for coin terms like DDR, ANA, obverse, numismatics, capped die, mintage, etc. All the words you need to know to be a collector. There would also be links to Cointalk at the end because I've learned so much here that if the "student" needed help i know they'd be in the right hands.
This is for the YN contest
Very fun contest!!!

 

Here we go...

 

For coin #1: (However this is also an application for #2 as a fallback)

If I were to design an online course for coin collecting, it would have these section.

What's my coin:
This would include a place for beginners to question the type of coin and the possible value that it my contain. For example, It would help them determine the difference in value between a 1909 and a 1909- S VDB.

Help/FAQ:
This would be a place for members to ask question on how to do things in coin collecting, such as the best way to photograph coins and count them.

Getting Started:
Talks about finding your interests around your budget. When you open this link, you would be able to pick a country, then learn about the coins from that country. For example, you will see pictures of coins and their names, and you can pick one to learn about.

Freebies: This is the area that allows new members/ beginners to pick a free coin for the first five weeks of joining the website (one coin a week). Members or experts would be able to post a coin in the freebie section.

Coin Market: Average Buy/Sell/Trade market for coins at cheap prices

Chat: well... Chat.

Library: Gives you a library to help you with all things numismatic.

And finally... Coin University: a course that allows members to learn more about coins at their own pace. With experts as the teachers, this would allow them to pass their knowledge onto others. At the end of the course, each graduate would receive a digital certificate that you are able to print out

Thanks for the Contest

 

I haven't been a YN for 20+ years, so this is for contest #2.

IMHO, those new to coin collecting just need to have a way to feed their interests without making terrible mistakes. So, I'd design my course around that principle.

First, I would point out some of the obvious and easy to avoid missteps a newbie to our hobby can make. A beginner should not buy:

• Coins from HSN and similar.
• Coins from "subscription" programs.
• Rounds that look like, but are not coins.
• Coins "certified" by companies other than PCGS and NGC.

A beginner should be wary of:

• Coin sellers that advertise in national venues. Some of these will sell you exactly what they are advertising, but at a large premium to cover the advertising cost. Some will sell you cleaned and overgraded coins.
• Uncertified coins from people who are not coin dealers.
• Anything that sounds too good to be true.

Next, I'd include a list of recommended books to get started. This list would be US-centric because it's what I know the most about, and because coin collecting is too broad a subject to cover in its entirety with a few books. The list would include:

• A new-ish Redbook and a couple of older Redbooks. These would come with a special warning to ignore all the pricing information, but use them as resources to see what coins have been popular over the years, and as a catalog of US coins.
• The Coin Collector's Survival Manual. Read it cover to cover, especially the sections about working with dealers.
• Several books on grading, including the ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins, and The Official Guide to Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection.

Next, I'd introduce supplies other than books, the most basic being a good magnifier. Basics of storage methods and how to handle coins would be covered here, as well.

I'd have a special section on problem coins (including cleaned, damaged, and doctored), and how to detect them.

For the next section, I'd look at methods of collecting. The most basic method would be collecting coins from change. You can probably complete most of a Jefferson nickel set, Lincoln cents from 1959 onward, clad quarters and dimes, solely from change. This is how I got my start as a YN, filling in a Whitman Jefferson nickel folder. If going this route, I would mention the book Strike It Rich With Pocket Change aka Cherrypickers' lite.

For collectors with more means and less interest in current circulating coins, I would recommend silver Roosevelt dimes, or Jefferson nickels, along with suitable reference books for these series. Since these coins would almost certainly need to be purchased from a coin dealer, I would emphasize learning to grade and finding a good, reputable dealer.

For collectors with even more means who want to collect coins that don't look like the ones in circulation today, I would recommend 20th century type coins, or classic commemorative halves. Because some of these coins can be expensive purchases, I re-emphasize the points about learning to grade and finding a dealer, along with purchasing certified coins or having expensive coins certified to at least guarantee authenticity. Again, I would mention suitable reference books, such as Swiatek's commemorative book.

Above all, I would emphasize that collecting should be fun! Go to shows, join a coin club, and learn from your fellow collectors! Look at a lot of coins and develop grading skill and an eye for coins. With all these tools available to you, this can be a gratifying lifelong hobby!

 

I can't wait to see who wins!