Ancient dating game

I think we should definitely allow derived dates based on hoard studies, die studies, or whatever... way too hard otherwise. "Dated by some knowledgeable expert to year x" will probably have to be good enough many times.

So we're on 1496 or AH 901-902...

 

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Ahhh but whose dating takes prescedence? There are many contradictory dating schemes in place for so many periods proposed by many different scholars..

 

I hope, by the time we all have decided on this, I will have a coin of the Year Zero.

 

Recent consensus is the best, but failing that, a dating scheme backed by decent evidence is OK. We can only do the best we can do, not better.

But it seems to me that this idea is going over like a lead balloon... so many attempts to nip it in the bud! (To mix metaphors.)

 

Very easy after 6h elapse and you don't have to post your own coins. Here's a 1496 golden fleece coin:


LOWLANDS, Brabant. Philippe le Beau. 1482-1506. AR Toison d'Argent (Double Briquet) (3.50 gm). Dated 1496. +INICIVN SAPIENCIE TIMOR DOMINI ANO 1496, Golden Fleece / PhS DEI GRA ARCHID AVST'E DVX B'G' B', Crowned arms on cross fleuronnée. Frey 445. Toned Good VF. Link to CNG coin.

 

I like the idea for the thread.

I think this needs to be done by decades at least if not 50 year periods. There will be no coins for many years and it will take 4 years to get to year 1 otherwise.

John

 

As the challenge increases, the accomplishment decreases, of course. I think 50 year periods is way too easy, I could probably do that just with my own collection. If we're not allowed to post anything outside our own collections, I agree that year-by-year is too difficult and would take too long... although in general a multi-year thread doesn't strike me as a big negative.

Where does the right balance lie? Well, it depends on the century, and it depends on whether there's a backup option to post coins that you don't own.

I propose that we do 2 things. First, we vote on whether we'd like to have a backup option to post coins that you don't own. Then, for each century as they come up, those who might participate discuss & vote on whether we'll attempt that century year by year, year by year with the flexibility to accommodate alternative dating systems like AH dates or Alexandrian dates, in 5y stretches, 10y stretches, or 25y stretches. There would be 24h of discussion, and then 24 of voting. (And if we end up making a particular century too hard, we can always make an emergency switch to a coarser grain.)

I could start a thread describing the proposal, accompanied by the following poll:

a) I would only participate if there's backup option (at 6h or 12h) to post coins that don't belong to the poster.
b) I would only participate if there's NO backup option to post coins that don't belong to the poster.
c) I would participate either way, but I prefer there to be a backup option to post coins we don't own.
d) I would participate either way, but I prefer it if we're always required to post coins we own.
e) I would participate either way, and don't mind about the backup option.
f) I won't participate, instead I will eat bacon. Have fun!

Any dissenters to this strategy, or refinements for the idea or the poll?

 

d) I would participate either way, but I prefer it if we're always required to post coins we own.

I like this option best, however this would exclude me from participating for long stretches of time. So having an elapsed time with no post to allow non-owned coins would be a good way to go.

 

Well, if the poll is active, I have a tough time between option d and f. I do like bacon.

 

OK, I'll run this poll in the next day or two, and we'll see what happens. If there are enough people interested in participating (minimum of 10?) then we can vote on the timespans for the 15th century and get the thread started again, with panzerman's gold.

 

Since you proposed the idea, can you elaborate your thoughts on how exactly you want to run this @tibor ?

 

I would love to help, but I have a dated coin of 1502 and the next one is from 1334. These are islamic. The problem is, there are not many Western coins exactly dated before (say) 1480. And that is what most of us are collecting.

If we start at the other end of classical coin collecting, i.e. 650 BC, there are only a few half-centuries and decades to start with, but I bet that from 500 BC we can start with five-year intervals and soon enough with years. You will all be much more enthousiastic, that's the most important thing about it.