Newbies and their questions

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by ToughCOINS, Apr 10, 2021.

  1. ToughCOINS

    ToughCOINS Dealer Member Moderator

    Far too many threads on CoinTalk have degraded to the point of anti-social behavior between newbies with high monetary expectations and seasoned collectors who already know why a coin is not what the newbie thinks. This seems due to a lack of time, patience and good communication between those wanting the information and those having it.

    In an effort to gently let down those who mistakenly believe they have a Proof 1990 No S Lincoln Cent, I've created this post that one may point to for a clear and concise explanation . . . I’ve pasted images below for illustrative purposes (images courtesy of PCGS CoinFacts):


    1990 (Philadelphia, no mintmark, as is normal):

    Below is pictured an ordinary circulation strike, minted in Philadelphia. Except for circulation strikes minted in 2017, Philadelphia-minted cents did not receive mintmarks at all, so this confuses many folks when it comes to the rare and valuable 1990 no mintmark proof.

    37695266_167425185_2200.jpg

    The valuable coin would be a proof, minted in San Francisco, exhibiting the obvious proof finish and workmanship but missing the mintmark (see next).


    1990 No S (San Francisco, no mintmark, the rarity):

    80512926_50997322_2200.jpg


    1990-S (San Francisco, with mintmark, as is normal):

    40190816_202936850_2200.jpg


    I apologize for dashing your hopes if you do not have the rarity, but sincerely wish for you to come across the real thing one day.

    Mike at ToughCOINS
     
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  3. Dave Waterstraat

    Dave Waterstraat Well-Known Member

    Great post Mike!
    Maybe the 1969-S doubled die could be covered as well and then the 1922 high relief Peace Dollar, the list goes on and on.....
     
    1stSgt22, Bayern, capthank and 2 others like this.
  4. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    I like the idea behind this. It's good info for anyone.
    Problem is: How do you get those new people to actually read this post and then keep them from arguing that THEIRS IS THE REAL DEAL THIS TIME! :p
     
    PamR and AuldFartte like this.
  5. CoinJockey73

    CoinJockey73 Well-Known Member

    I was going to say, that was outstanding, thank you, you should be a mod!
    Oops, scratch the last part of the comment, please...
     
    AuldFartte likes this.
  6. Captain Sully

    Captain Sully Active Member

    Good Note, but I don't think you are on the Spot with this. Seems you think all of us New people who are anxious to learn more about Coins in general and not looking for the big bucks from a single find are promoting this seize the moment on this site. Thus, you might want to make a note that there is plenty of literature out there, plus an abundance on youtube addressing the issues listed in your mail. Maybe if, before we become full members you/we should be directed to a few of these sites. Not pushing youtube, but when I want to learn, I go there not here.
     
  7. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    Youtube is filled with misinformation.
     
    Jeffjay, dwhiz, Hoky77 and 3 others like this.
  8. John Skelton

    John Skelton Morgan man!

    I'd like to know why you prefer YouTube over here for learning. At least here there are a lot of knowledgeable people who can help you. This is not to say YouTube doesn't have some good stuff if you know where to look, but it isn't interactive like a forum.
     
  9. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    I gotta tell ya Capt, what Mike, ToughCoins, said in his post is quite true. Now no, not every new member behaves that way but a great many of them do. You need to realize that Mike is talking generalities and you're talking about specifics. And you're right too, there are people who come here just to learn. Unfortunately, there are a large number of new members who behave exactly as Mike described.

    And yeah, I get that, and I know why they behave that way. It's usually because they have done some research on their own. They've looked things up, read this and read that, and read something else. The problem arises usually because they don't really understand what it was they read about. They misinterpret things, they think this means that when it really means something entirely different. Or they think that because this is similar it's the same as something else. Or, what they read was simply bad information, inaccurate information, completely untrue information, or only partially true information. And then there are those who simply don't want to believe what they are being told because it's not what they want to hear !

    And that's the problem with YouTube as well. Sure there's some good stuff on YouTube, accurate info. But there's a a whole lot more bad and inaccurate info found there.

    And new members, beginning collectors, or just people who want to find out if their coin is the one they read about and maybe worth something, before they can trust what they are reading someplace, and that includes published books because they are often full of bad information as well, or what they are watching on YouTube - they need to know how to separate the wheat form the chaff ! They need to know what information they can trust and what information they can't trust !

    And if you're new to the hobby, that's pretty much an impossible thing to do.

    So what is it then that new members should do ? In simple terms they should do everything they can to learn as much as they can. Both good information and bad information for it only by familiarizing oneself with both that one can learn to differentiate one from the other.

    And here's the thing about a forum like CT. CT is chock full of people who are some of the best there are in numismatics. People you should definitely trust ! Problem is, how do ya know who's who ? Well it's not because of the User Title under their name. You can figure out who to trust by listening to what other members say about them. The people who know what they are talking about - other members here on CT KNOW who those people are. And they know because they've been here a while, some a very long while. And they'll tell you who can trust and who can't trust. They'll tell you what is good info and what is bad info. That's how forums like this work, and why they work !

    I've spent a large part of my life teaching people worldwide about coins, and I still do, on a daily basis. And more than a few of those people have gone on to learn far more than I could teach them. Some of them have even gone on to become some the most well known and trusted names in numismatics. And they in turn have taught me what they learned, as well a teaching others. And ya see, they do that because that was the deal I made with them in the beginning. I would teach them everything I could teach them, often spending many years doing so. But in turn they has to agree that they would do the same thing down the road and teach others. Spend time with others just like I spent time them.

    And that too is how this forum works for more than a few of those people I spent time teaching are members of this very forum. So all in all, this is a pretty damn good place to be if ya wanna learn about coins ;)
     
    dwhiz, Penny Luster, Idoono and 16 others like this.
  10. expat

    expat Remember you are unique, just like everyone else Supporter

    AuldFartte and GoldFinger1969 like this.
  11. CoinJockey73

    CoinJockey73 Well-Known Member

    Perfect.
     
    AuldFartte likes this.
  12. ldhair

    ldhair Clean Supporter

    New collectors have no way to know if the youtube is true or false.
    Members on forums help correct false information before it gets passed on to many others and that's really important for everyone in the hobby. It's also important that we all correct others in a polite manner.
     
  13. messydesk

    messydesk Well-Known Member

    I was actually thinking of creating a YouTube channel dedicated to bad information about coins and setting it straight, but I don't have that kind of time.
     
  14. Phil's Coins

    Phil's Coins Well-Known Member

    THANK YOU!!!
     
    AuldFartte likes this.
  15. ldhair

    ldhair Clean Supporter

    Great post. My problem is trying to find a link to point folks to, when I need it. I have saved so many that it takes me forever to find the correct link.
     
    AuldFartte likes this.
  16. Mr.Q

    Mr.Q Well-Known Member

    Great post and replies, my thanks to all.
     
    AuldFartte likes this.
  17. Spark1951

    Spark1951 Accomplishment, not Activity

    ...among the other identified faults of youtube already mentioned is the fact that the information is often inaccurate, used out of context and employs omission of information.

    They often couple these faults with grandiose or dramatic words and phrases and end up misrepresenting the subject ...but that is all by design...it is designed to get you to click because that’s how they get paid...jmho...Spark
     
    KBBPLL and AuldFartte like this.
  18. AuldFartte

    AuldFartte Well-Known Member

    Totally agree!
     
  19. ToughCOINS

    ToughCOINS Dealer Member Moderator

    Sort of like “What’s it worth?”, maybe Peter would create a new forum, “Is this what I think it is?”
     
    manny9655 and Santinidollar like this.
  20. John Skelton

    John Skelton Morgan man!

    The best thing I've found on YouTube is a video of the minting process. Everyone here talks about how newbies need to learn it, but it's something you can't always picture just by reading about it.
     
    eddiespin likes this.
  21. whopper64

    whopper64 Well-Known Member

    Although I am a "newbie" in the collector's world (since 2009), my scope of coin knowledge was youtube and any other info I could gather on the internet. Literally stumbling onto CT two years ago, I'm now learning so much valuable info from it's knowledgeable contributors (almost all simply coin history buffs who want the correct info disseminated). My collections are all targeted to keep history alive and a genealogical interest in German and Welsh coins for my grown daughter, who will inherit them some day. She's already shown interest in the historical aspect, and that's a good start. To sum it up, my heartfelt thanks to CT and it's amazing "hardcore" coin buffs for expanding my knowledge of coin collecting.
     
    Trish and Roman Collector like this.
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