THE reason I am not surprised that I have bad online experiences is that even the top tech writers feel the same way I do. The This Week in Tech network, run by Leo Laporte, The Tech Guy on syndicated radio, and producer of DOZENS of tech podcasts, has become, if anything, even MORE DESPONDENT than I am over the state of the current Internet. What I want is the rights that EU residents ALREADY HAVE!!!! That should NOT BE too big an ask. I’ve been online for almost 30 years, if not more. I want the net decommercialized. I see Google and Facebook as literal crime syndicates, nothing more.
So what kind of radical are you, anyway? Don’t you know that as long as it provides you cash flow to improve your collection, there ain’t no such a thing as ethics? It’s the new normal.
The EU doesn't know what they are doing, especially in the area of emerging technologies. There will be unintended consequences to excessive privacy controls that the average consumer will not like.
By the way @Jaelus, I am no internet Luddite per se. I run my own Ubuntu server, frequently managing it at the command line, and I develop software on the side. I am presently working on an iOS “client/server” app that is a coin collection management app. Slow progress. I’m looking for a database interface with a long future.
Or the more likely scenario, you can’t do it. And the number of people who can generate market acceptable AT is extremely small. My challenge to everyone on this forum still stands. If you can make passable AT, then prove it. And again, I’m undefeated.
If someone can make passable, attractive AT then why would that person out him or herself? There is a lot of money that could be made. I agree that no one here likely has that skill set.
For some it would not be for the money, but more for the art of fooling others and keeping the slabbed coins as a reminder to themselves of their ability. I have not seen a post here with proof that a member AT a coin and got it through a specific TPG, and I doubt I ever will. The skill set might not be as extensive as the average member might imagine, and the knowledgeable ones would want to keep it that way. I can think of more than 10 members who might could do it if they decided to dedicate the time to learning and building a 'device'. Jim
EyeAppealingCoins, posted: "3. NGC will not award a DCAM or CAM designation to a coin toned like that - it is impossible to see any field to device contrasts behind the color." There was a discussion on this in the past. At that time I posted a darkly toned (beautiful) CAMEO PROOF Ike dollar. A VIP at NGC stated they would not cameo the coin because it was no longer cameo because the dark toning hid the contrast THAT WAS ON THE CAMEO PROOF and made it a cameo. I told him and everyone else that was STUPID. I still feel that way. EyeAppealingCoins, posted: "Call me a doubting Thomas, but us mere mortals don't have x-ray vision like superman. If you can see the cameo under there, then you are special to say the least." I agree.
Being a past member of a hobby even more up to its eyeballs in materials snobbery than the coin field is (high end photographic print making), I can confirm Doug’s piece on archival paper products. In the heyday of traditional photography, the hunt for archival mounting supplies consumed a ridiculous amount of attention.
I wasn't saying you were a luddite, just biased. I've been a professional software engineer for decades, manage two domains, and do network support for several local businesses. It still took me years to get good at using the internet for numismatics. That's my point really, getting to know the ins and outs of who the good dealers and other sources are online takes just as much time and commitment as doing so in person. Actually it's a bit harder because you have more to filter through, and can't see people or coins face to face.
Not seeing people face to face can actually be a positive if you are someone that doesn't fit the typical collector look. Everyone gets treated the same dealing online, no dealer bias towards a customer
I politely disagree here, Baseball. Experiencing Numismatics without shows leaves such collectors at a major disadvantage in the hobby. It can be daunting and intimidating hitting the bourse floor, especially for the first time, however, it takes self confidence, leadership, social, and persuasion skills to succeed and obtain quality material at reasonable prices at shows. Any nerd with a computer can buy coins off the internet, but not any nerd possesses the social skills to dominate on a crowded, loud bourse, nor has skills to examine coins in-hand without the aid of close up photography. Without shows, the social aspect of our hobby disappears, and without that crucial social aspect, coin collecting would become an even more isolated, selfish hobby than it already is. As far as dealer bias, I don't fit the description appearance-wise as your "average collector" by any means. When I'm at a show, the second a dealer makes some snarky remark or is rude to me, I politely hand them back their coins and take my business elsewhere. I've had tons of dealers trash talk me, but it doesn't discourage me. It amazes me the number of my own generation who want to hide behind phones and screens and avoid face to face interaction, phone calls, etc. Social Networks are anything BUT social, they are the antithesis of social, baiting the younger masses to think by hiding behind a screen, messaging other folks you barely know but have in your "friends list", and posting the last meal you ate or other mundane garbage is "socializing".
Bourse surfing is only daunting until you get a feel what material is where. There is a consistency to the patterns, regardless of the precise show. The only real big difference is that at FUN, the message desk towers over you like a judge’s bench in a courtroom, while at ANA a less daunting presence is preferred. I decided to forego FUN this year and stick with NYINC instead. I made all my reservations, including rebooking my hotel. I’m now a 5 minute walk from the show, instead of 20 minutes, and I saved $200, too. Amtrak ran a Black Friday special and I saved on that too. I’m arriving Friday night, just in time to check in and get to the theater, and heading home Sunday around 5pm. NYINC is a show where the Sunday is actually well-attended. Saturday night is for the King of Bermania. Amtrak reservations for BOTH 2019 ANA shows are also booked.
Are we talking about knowledge are experience. Most think knowledge is highten by experience. True to a point. I'll pass on the experiece theory if it means hitting myself over the head to see if it hurts