So, ... who are you?

Hello everybody!

I'm always late to view the topics, especially like this one, very interesting. Well, I've been away from this forum for the past year, in a way due to overwork, and also because of the Pandemic situation itself. Who am I?
My name is Paulo Gerritsen Plaggert, I'm Dutch-Brazilian, born in São Paulo, the largest city in Latin America. My father is Dutch born in the former Dutch East Indias, where part of my family has been since the beginning of the Batavia foundation. My mother is the daughter of Italians (half from Venezia, half from Mantova). I'm currently 46 years old, pediatrician and child neurologist, married with 2 children. I've been collecting coins since I was 5-6 years old, my first ancient coin was a LRB from Delmatius, when I was 14 years old. I discovered Numismatics through a visit to my Oma's office, where inside a desk, there were several old coins. Since then, I have never stopped collecting. I live in a country where it is not easy to collect ancient coins: the Brazilian mail don't work and does not help, there are few people who like ancient and medieval numismatics, thus, few dealers. As in the USA, I see that most collectors prefer the local theme. Brazil is a "sleeping giant", as they like to say here. Personally, it is a country in a "persistent vegetative state", which is driven by the bovine resilience of its population and by execrable politicians. Well, here I am...
I also like literature, genealogy (especially from my family) and History. My avatar, Multatuli, is a simple hommage to one of the greatest writers of Dutch literature, pseudonym of Eduard Dowes Dekker, of whom I am distantly related. Multa tuli means: "I have suffered much".
I've been following Cointalk for a few years now. Even when I'm not logged in, I always try to read the topics. As @TIF says, always learning! I write little here, because I don't think I have a good development in the English write language. But I have many numismatic teachers here. Perhaps it would be the place for me to thank @dougsmit . He has no idea how much he has contributed to my numismatic training to this day. I owe him a lot of my (meager) knowledge, even before I was here. In fact, I owe you all a lot.
If I wrote any linguistic blunders, please forgive me!

 

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Awesome write-up, thank you!

 

Excellent write-up @Multatuli. In my opinion your command of the English language is excellent - I wish you would write more here!

 

Terrific writeup, @Multatuli, on multiple levels. Congratulations on your family, for starters. ...The rule of thumb with English is that if you can't do better in the writer's or speaker's native language, judgment should come to a summary, screeching halt.
...Then again, regarding America, I like to say that most people here speak English as a second language --for the vast majority of them, in the absence of a first one!

 

This is a great thread! I’ve enjoyed learning more about the people whose posts I enjoy so much. I was a lurker for a couple of years before joining last October.

A lifelong resident of Lexington, KY, I got a BSIM from Purdue (specializing in Finance) and then a JD from the University of Kentucky. After graduation I went into our family business - a beer wholesalership (yes, it was tons of fun!) After that, I practiced law, first as a solo practitioner, then in a mid-size firm. I’m now working for the Kentucky Bar Association - first as Director for CLE (4 years) and now as Executive Director (11 years).

I have a wife of 24 years and we have 2 rescue dogs, but no children (that certainly helps to provide some disposable income). I’m a big Formula One fan and have been lucky to cross off #1 on my bucket list - Monaco, twice, the last time on a yacht in the Inner Harbor. I raced for several years, driving a Lola S2000. Great fun, but expensive! I’m also a huge Kentucky Wildcat fan.

OK, let’s talk coins. I’ve always enjoyed reading about history and have had a strong collecting gene as well. My first Roman coin was purchased from a jewelry store in St Thomas when I was on my honeymoon (I still have the coin, not the wife). After several years I ran across the coin again and realized if it was as cheap as it was, that probably means there are a lot out there. So I started reading about ancients. When I learned about the EID MAR, I was blown away. I decided that the Imperatorial Period was what I wanted to focus on. Other than my first coin, all I own are Imperatorials. Over nearly 40 years of collecting, I’ve picked up 85. They give me tremendous satisfaction, I feel fortunate to be their caretaker for a fraction of their histories.

I feel like I’ve been very fortunate during my 68 years - great wife (this time), satisfying career experiences, and, of course, the most interesting hobby in the world!

 

Great story - in fact a great post all around @jdmKY. I would like to see some of your coins (please excuse me if I have missed some in your posts - “I don’t get around much anymore”).

 

Not to mention, Grandfather........

 

Per your avatar, you are indeed devilish at times, @green18. I personally like that, for it adds a little spice to our discussions and I do not mind being taken down a peg or two from time to time. But in all seriousness, you are a great contributor - thanks.

 

Shoot. I don't deserve that.......

Bless you James........

Edit to add: And you are most kind indeed, my friend.

 

Excellent post, Donna (as usual). As you can see, I am slowly working my way through this thread in order to add salutations and commentary to the posts of both old Coin talk friends and those of newcomers whose “handles” I do not recognize. Coin Talk is the only enjoyable outlet I have these days. So to you “old friend” (I hope you do not mind me calling you that) I want to say I have enjoyed your posts very much and appreciate your passion and knowledge relating to the coins we all love so much. I am fascinated by your family history and saddened by the thought of the trauma your mother endured as a Holocaust survivor. I must admit I am somewhat intimidated by Lady Attorney’s - they are so much smarter than me. But you write in a scholarly, informative, style that I greatly appreciate.

james

 

Thanks, James (a great name -- it happens to be my son's!) That's extremely kind of you. I always very much enjoy your posts.

 

I'm a fairly private person, but reading all the excellent posts in this thread has moved me to share at least a little about myself. I was born in 1972 and grew up in a pleasant New Jersey suburb of Philadelphia. My family is of Italian origin on both sides (with some Irish and English mixed in on my father's side), but while most of my extended relatives are Roman Catholic my parents, sister and I were Society of Friends (Quakers). While today I am not traditionally religious, I still hold to many core Quaker values including the search for the Inner Light in every person, a commitment to social justice, and a preference for peaceful solutions to conflict.

I attended a small liberal-arts college where I earned my Bachelor's degree in Biology, then moved on to graduate school. I received my Master's in Molecular Biology and spent a couple more years in the Ph.D. program, but left without receiving my doctorate. Part of my reason for leaving was due to problems with my advisor, but I also found that the way graduate education in general works, with its vague endpoints and ultra-high pressure, was just not for me. Fortunately I did not lose my love for science, and I have since been working in academic labs ever since. For the last 10 years I have been a laboratory manager in a research lab at a major biomedical university in Baltimore that you've definitely heard of. I work with a PI (Primary Investigator) who is the Professor in charge of our lab group of about ten people, basically as an Executive Officer type. I take care of most of the day-to-day duties in the lab (ordering supplies, making stock solutions, getting equipment fixed) as well as helping out in experiments as needed and editing and writing manuscripts. I have co-authored about a dozen papers over the years, including both original research and review articles.

I have quite a few other interests besides coins- there are just too many interesting things in the world to focus too much on just one hobby! I am a birder, and my life-list is at 462 species (which sounds impressive, until you learn there are 10,000 living species, so I still have never seen over 95% of bird species). I collect fossils and other natural history objects (minerals, shells, bones). I love movies (both true classics and "so bad they're good" films), especially in the sci-fi genre. And, whenever I have a moment to spare, I am a voracious reader, especially books on history. And occasionally I sleep.

Anyway, I hope that helps you understand me a bit better. Feel free to ask me other questions- I'll answer if it doesn't feel too personal.

 

That is an exceptionally well organized, aesthetically pleasing - and colorful method of maintaining your coin collection, John! I have taken a different route since “I have gone mobile”:



The coins are displayed like yours, except they end up in detached album sheets (20 coins) that are folded and placed in the pictured reinforced nylon shoulder bag (doing double duty as a purse for ID, credit cards, cash, etc.) that I take with me when I leave the house.

Added: this is a photo of me wearing the shoulder bag:



(the car is an extraneous prop - one of my friend’s Ferrari).

 

Hello Paulo! Well neither have I! But every time I’m thinking «oh, I’m coming across like a moron again», I try to remind myself how miserable it is when most English speaking people try to communicate in something but their mother tongue! And then it’s not so scary after all. Hope to hear more from you.
Svein, Norway

P.S. I totally agree with your assessment of this board and its members.

 

James, I love this. Thank you for being you.

 

Since I first «met» you, more than 10 years ago, you have always come across as a friendly, helpful and polite person who never engages in conflict and always behaves constructively. I had no idea that you were a Quaker.
There have been times when I have been looking for something stronger than myself to hold on to. The only society I’ve seriously have considered entering has been The Society of Friends.

The first people to leave my town in order to settle in a country where they could have their religion in peace, were quakers.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleng_Peerson

 

You would look good in a Ferrari. I have a red corvette convertible (unfortunately a new one) It has great performance 0-100mph 4.5seconds/ had her upto 280K.
Nice ride/ great fuel economy BUT a boring design. I hope to get rid of new car/ then buy a frame off restored big block 67/ nicest car ever made.

 

Thank you all very much, especially for @jamesicus , @svessien @Alegandron and @+VGO.DVCKS for the lovely and kind comments.
I just love to see your posts about your “britcoins”, Sir James!

 

Thank you for the promotion Paulo! I can only imagine the dialog within your family if you mix Dutch and Portuguese - I used to communicate with two fellow cactus researchers (Marlon Machado, Brazilian and Paul Klaasen, Dutch) and we would use English as our common denominator language just like we do here on Coin Talk. It made me realize just how proficient and skilled most “non-native English speaking people” are in my own native language and how deficient I was in theirs! I was also struck with how self conscious and apprehensive many are when writing in English in case they do not use words or phrases correctly (and use poor grammar) when they actually use them as well - or better than the “Native English speakers”. To illustrate this I just might write my next post in Portuguese!

(That is a joke - I wouldn’t know how to begin, besides, that would be a violation of the Coin Talk Posting Guidelines).

Sir James (Title awarded by @Multatuli)

 

...On top of everything, it's worth remembering that English is the Number One Mutt Language of the entire world. We get not only our vocabulary, but our grammar from all over the place. Learning it as a second language would be like, well, learning any other one, minus a grain of consistency. I cringe at the thought.