Do you actually know the meaning of smileys? Smiley: a symbol that represents a smiling face, typically formed by the characters and used to indicate that the writer is pleased or JOKING <---
Uh yeah I do . Like matty I simply didn't see your smiley so perhaps you should have used a real smiley to get your point across better? Or at least put "end sarcasm" or something, sheesh...
This is why we need a sarcasm font. I propose left-leaning italic. Perhaps Peter can install that font for us so we won't have these little misunderstandings. (In this instance, the grin means I'm trying to be funny although a universal font for sarcasm might go a long way towards achieving world peace)
Sometimes a font or smiley can't remove the emotions in a remark to someone who doesn't know it is so. As you know, the forum has members from over the globe who may have limited interactions with English and colloquial meanings. Sure, use it with people you know well, but rethink before using with others. Thanks, lets all stay friends....or else !
I suppose it would be politically incorrect but it would help if people posting on CT were required to fill out the profile information so we could tell whether we needed to be using 'limited English' for a 6 year old (or person studying the language for about that long) or a retired Oxford professor who has been posting on coin discussion lists since the Internet discovered coins. I might say things to guys of my generation like Bing, for example, using different words than I'd offer an English as a second language stranger who might not know a few dozen words (about all I know in any language other than English, Greek and Latin). I have to agree with the opinion that an ancient coin which has spent the last 2000 years wrapped in acid free paper in a sock drawer would be worth vastly more than a coin cleaned professionally that recently was found in a pot in England. Where we are different is that some people actually believe there are sock drawer coins. I have never seen one. There may be sock drawer Morgan dollars but this is the ancient section. We have coins that many not have been cleaned for 200 years but they are still not virginal.
Hi matty 440 ... wow, you're kinda like the fascinating new kid that arrived on the first day of school (the coin-folks seem quite amazed by your interesting perspective on coin-collecting and your unique mannerisms ... yup, you've certainly grabbed our attention!!) => welcome ... you seem like a nice enough dude, who's interested in learning about collecting ancient coins (that's awesome ... you're coin-comments are very refreshing) curious? ... are you from the US? (occasionally I detect a slight accent?)
Aren't coins sometimes found inside covered urns and other such containers? Wouldn't those coins be in better condition than ones exposed to soil or the elements?
If still sealed , yes. But many are broken and water and chemicals from the soil or environment can be retained a longer period. Some geologists think that earth tremors, over the time, could break some such containers.
Not necessarily. It's not like those containers were hermetically sealed... The Frome hoard in situ; image from http://1066andallthat.livejournal.com/838.html