I’d like to get to you know you a little better…..numismatically.

I was just pondering my numismatic life, and am kind of embarrassed to admit that I really don’t know much about anything, numismatically! I’ve always been more of a hoarder, dabbling in a little bit of everything: “Jack of all trades, Master of none”, if you will. I've come to the determination that I need to read A LOT more, and study A LOT more!!!

That got me to thinking, “Who at CoinTalk are considered the ‘experts’ in various coin types, or numismatic topics?” How did they get to be an expert in that area? What made them choose that area to specialize in? "Hey," I thought to myself, "this could make a good thread! Let's learn something about the others I talk to about coins!"

I’ll kick it off. As mentioned, I don’t feel I’m an expert at anything, numismatically. I know a little about a lot of US coins. I feel I’m decent at grading many US coins from the late-1800s thru 1964 – from PO-1 thru MS-65 (I only have two coins graded MS-66, but they’re already slabbed). I don’t collect paper currency, non-US coins, Ancients, medals, tokens, exonumia, etc., but am not against delving into some of those areas some day. If I were forced to claim “expertise” in any area, I could not, but I can emphatically say I’m least incompetent about Morgan Dollars, my favorite US coin type. But, I know there are numerous people on this forum who have much, MUCH more knowledge about Morgan Dollars than I could ever imagine having.

So, if you’re willing, would you share if you have specific expertise in any area of numismatics? What are your specialties? What led you to that area of expertise? Have you written articles/books? Do you teach? Do you create video content?

Don’t be shy! C’mon, toot your own horn a little! And, don’t just say, “US gold coins” – tell us a little about yourself. Let’s get to know each other a little better…..numismatically.

And, please, Please, PLEASE – let’s make this a POSITIVE thread! No downplaying others, or belittling. Just positive vibes, please!!!

TIA,
Eric

 

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Really nice post!
I like just about anything coin related and collect whatever is old and has some good history behind it. I also collect some of the relics I find Metal detecting coin related or relics like buttons, buckles and oddballs.
This is a little off topic, but I want to point out that I'm also a joker with dry humor. Just a way of coping with life. I hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings in the 5 1/2 years that I've been a member.... .
I also starting have an interest in War coins. Civil war, WW2 and just about any war. Ialso collect old buttons I find detecting. Here's a button I found from the 1800's...The company now is The Waterbury Button Co.

 

I've been primarily a collector of ancient coins up until a year ago or so, when I expanded my interests to modern world and US coins. I would not dream of placing myself in the category of "expert", but I do have a decent knowledge of ancient coins, and all of it came from being immersed in the hobby over the last 5 years - buying fun coins, discovering new and interesting types, reading up on the history, and being an active participant on online forums.

I'm meticulous and methodical by nature and I enjoy researching coins and digging into their (sometimes) obscure history. I think I can say I'm also decently competent at attribution, and have a good eye for pattern recognition which helps spot things like die matches. I also enjoy photographing my coins.

But again, in none of these areas could I remotely be considered an expert.

 

You may possibly be a hoarder, like I've been all of my life!

 

By "discovering new and interesting types", do you mean you have discovered types, or varieties, that have now been published as such (e.g. die parings that haven't been published as of yet)???

 

I've been dealing for 2 years and am still learning a bunch of ropes. For coin grading, give me an Indian or Lincoln cent and I feel comfortable grading it. Buffalo nickels take 3rd place, and now that I've been acquiring better dates in mid-to-higher grades, it's become a tool I use quite often. I can do Liberty nickels through XF, most Seated stuff through F-VF, and most Barber through F-15. Usually where I lack grading skills is in modern coins, as I find myself very rarely grading those.

Even if I become the world's most knowledgeable coin dealer when I'm old, I won't consider myself an expert because once you do that, some people will think you know everything about coins, when in reality there are so many coins to learn about that it'd be nearly impossible to deal in them all.


I would grade this particular Buffalo nickel F-12, and while I got it for $3.50, it may take a minute before my opinion of the grade matches with another person's. The pictures don't do this coin justice.

 

I am just an ordinary collector, I started with roll hunting, I really didn't have the money to go spend money on coins. This led me to die varieties and errors. Which led me to books and online resources. When I understood that condition =value, I turned to learning what MS looks like which led me to grading. That step right there (condition) really helped me learn what is damage VS var/error. I read on a topic nearly every day, even if it is just CT.
I don't reserve my collecting habits to just Varieties and Errors. I collect moderns, contemporary, ancient, world, exonumia. I like crisp paper.

 

I mostly meant discovering types that were new to me - although I have also discovered types that are apparently unique and unpublished.

 

I collect mainly ancients and medieval coins. Sometimes early modern. Basically if it's struck and it's cool.

I only have two modern coins, one Morgan and another, similar one I received as a Secret Saturnalia present; a British trade dollar, which turned out to be a very nice gift. I suppose if I make the very rare venture into moderns, it would be something like that.

 

Where does one go to report "unique and unpublished" types/varieties? Can anyone tell us? I'm assuming it's different for Ancients vs US vs non-US, etc.

 

I collect Moroccan coinage, especially of the French influence period.

I collect Capped Bust Half Dollars, especially with rainbow toning.

I am particularly well known as a specialist in prooflike coins.

You can find my book in my signature below.

 

It depends on the type. For Roman Provincial coins, I would submit a new type to RPC Online. I have also submitted coins to Wildwinds which maintains an online database. I've also submitted some new types to the author of ERIC (Encyclopedia of Roman Imperial Coins) for inclusion in a possible third edition.
I've submitted coins on Numista as well, but I don't think any of those were necessarily unique or previously unpublished; just very rare.

 

Hi. I specialize in United States and Foreign Mint Errors.
I have a collection that I started 40 years ago when I discovered my first Mint Error in a jar of Cents that my dad gave me to go through. It was a Planchet Lamination.
These are all of my attributed mint errors..


Here is the Lamination I discovered



I also Metal Detect and have found hundreds of US Constitutional Silver coins over a 15-year period. I love silver coins! About 2 years ago I detected my first Spanish Half Reale which was pretty exciting.

Here are some of the many detected Mercury Dimes


I also dabble a bit in ancient coins.

This is my favorite one

 

My main collection is error star FRNs. But I also collect error coins. Under the non-coin category, I collect metal gaming tokens, Coin Club Tokens, Spinner Tokens, Various and Sundry other Tokens, elongated cents, and circulated star notes. I also collect $1 birthday notes. Plus whatever else catches my fancy. But in the end, I am just a hoarder and hardly an expert. But I am old and know stuff!

 

I never found it to be an easy question. I think mostly it's not the history that coin collecting can lead to, that so many people like, but the actual history of coin collecting in America that I like. It's the people, events, researchers/writers, dealers, collectors, crooks, corruption, hustlers, etc.. that fascinate me more than anything else.

"...good times and riches and son of a bitches..."
Jimmy Buffett

 

The one thing I would consider my area of expertise is the Barber hub types and subsequent transition varieties, mostly for the 1899-1905 period. Which is pretty narrow compared to so many others who I'd consider experts in a much wider area. It's still pretty crazy to me how I got there, because 7 or so years ago it wasn't anything on my radar - I was focused on Canadian George VI silver coins (still am to a certain extent).

The funny thing is that my complete lack of any knowledge about Barber coinage is what enabled me to make my first discovery. There was a typical "is this a counterfeit?" thread on another forum about an 1895-O dime. I compared the posted images to other 1895-O dimes and noticed that the veins in the leaves on the reverse were different on the fake. This led me to resources like the short blurbs on NGC and PCGS, and I found Lawrence's guidebook online. They all said that the dime reverse changed in 1901. I must have been going year by year through the PCGS coin facts, but I noticed that the 1901 leaf veins were also the same in 1900. Did all these resources just print the wrong year? Finally I realized that they were talking about the addition of an extra fold in the right ribbon, which did occur in 1901. But nobody had ever noticed that the reverse also changed in 1900, just without the "thick ribbon."

I found the Barber Coin Collectors' Society and contacted them, and they agreed that nobody had noticed or at least published about this. So I wrote my first ever article and had it published in the Spring 2019 BCCS journal. There was a third Barber dime reverse type used in 1900 and 1901! How had anyone not noticed in the ~40 years since John McCloskey discovered the "thick ribbon"?

If I knew anything about the Barber dimes, I never would have made this discovery. As someone subsequently pointed out on that counterfeit thread, the obverse is clearly from 1901+, and the reverse is also the 1901+ "thick ribbon" reverse type. Had I already been an "expert", I would have immediately recognized that the fake used obverse and reverse types that didn't exist until 1901, called it fake, and moved on.

The fake that started it all:


I tell the story because I think it demonstrates that a dolt can discover things and become an expert. It probably helps to not be locked into what's already known and accepted as fact, have an eye for detail, and a lot of diligence. It also helps that we live in an era where there are hundreds of high quality images online of a single year/mint/denomination.

Since then I've published I think 6 articles in BCCS. The third dime reverse type and transition anomalies for 1899 and 1900-S; discovery of a 1901-O dime with the 1892-1900 obverse (also RPD); discovery of a third Barber quarter obverse hub type only used in 1900; discovery of 1901 obverse and reverse types used for 1900-O half dollars; an article about a 1901-S "authenticated" fake quarter (@Jack D. Young also wrote about it for Coin Week); discovery of 1909 Liberty nickel "beer belly B" anomalies (written by @justafarmer); and co-wrote an article about 1915 counterfeit Cuban pesos.

Enough horn tooting. Toot toot. Anybody can be an expert!

 

That's a real fun coin Paddyman!

 

I remember your story well. As of matter of fact, you even sent me a PDF of your article: "Third Barber Dime Reverse Hub Type" back in Jun 2019. I still have it! I should get an autographed copy from you, so I can say, "I knew him when..."

Your story gives me a glimmer of hope that maybe a commoner like myself can "become an expert" at something! Actually, my dream right now is to find a Morgan Dollar VAM that hasn't been discovered. But, given there are 10 million VAM hunters out there, I doubt that will happen.

 

Not much of a Morgan collector. Only have owned a few. What's the story behind VAMS? Varieties?