Ancient Forum's Picture the Poster

Great video and educational too.

Did you ad lib that or write a script?

I would watch more done just as informally if they featured interesting coins and facts like yours did.

John

 

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Great accent! Fascinating video. I've lived in Maryland for 25 years but I grew up in Boston.

Pahk the cah in the Hahvahd Yahd

 

Last week my soccer team won our league cup tournament - it was about 90 degrees and 95% humidity here in Virginia so I changed into dry clothes before the pictures - so that’s me on the left in a Hokie shirt.


My recent purchase from Naville arrived today so here is my Moneta/coining implements denarius in my grubby hand.

 

I did it all on the spot. I saw the post wanting to know what other members sounded like, and I looked around to see which coins I had on hand with me. I happened to have those two, so I improvised a quick video explaining my research into those two coins, and my personal opinion as to which events they were intended to represent.

 

I think your personal opinion was fantastic and very informative. I learned something and will now be looking for a Gordian and to learn a little more about that era.
Perhaps you have found your calling?

 

Thank you very much for the kind words. Still, I'm happy enough doing what I'm doing in the legal field. History is relegated as a hobby for me, along with astronomy and numismatics. It's much better than watching reality TV in the evenings or doing something else much less productive. For me the pursuit of knowledge has always been a fun and relaxing past time.

However, I've done my part to promote knowledge of ancient numismatics in my own way. I donated a few ancient coins to my old professor of Art History at the University I did my undergrad at, as well as a PowerPoint, to help her incorporate a little bit of numismatics art into her lectures on ancient Roman and Greek art history. I figure that if one out of the hundreds of students that take her art history class every year is inspired to learn more about ancient coins, it was all worth it.

 

Well done! Always feels nice to give a little back.

 

Where were you at when I was in school? Any kind of history when I was there was more about remembering dates than anything else. I love the stories and the visuals.

 

Funny how I remember those dates even today. I sometimes ask younger people when so-and-so happened, and they have no idea. But I remember even in my dotage.

 

Times change and ideas change. I was very surprised when helping my daughters with High School history classes that dates are not stressed and are never on tests. Way different from my day.
But the more I investigated the new methods the more I liked the idea. They are teaching the kids how to research, reference sources, think critically and support their ideas.
The old way would prepare you really well for a quiz show .. cram all of the fact in that you can.. but that is it- and frankly why bother when kids can just Google it...?

 

When I was in University during the 70’s, I would take Ancient History go-to courses for my electives. I would usually get into J Rufus Fears' courses. My professor was UNBELEIVABLE. He literally and theatrically would act out History on stage. My first course with him - we had maybe 40 students in the class. My LAST course with him my last semester Senior year, we had WELL over 1,000 students in the class... He was incredible. That being stated. He never stressed dates. In the days BEFORE internet, he always felt if you were truly interested, you would further research. Took so many of courses, that I inadvertantly MINORED in History, which was way off my focus studies.

I chuckled when I looked him up. ALL of his pics were with a clean shaven face or a moustache. When he was teaching me, he had a FULL beard! Ah, the rebel days of his youth!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Rufus_Fears

 

This is my philosophy. There is no sense in memorizing dates when we all have a computer in our pockets which can look them up. However, I do sometimes find students struggling with the order of events..

 

My son and I with our latest Marlins swag which we purchased at the stadium today to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Marlins.



Let's go Fish! Miami Marlins fan forever. Bleed teal, baby!



Once you go Fish, you never go back!



Cause it's root, root, root for the Marlins....



Fish fan for life.


And to prove my long-time devotion to the Fish.


This is Billy Marlin and I back in 2008...



This is me holding my son in 2010, the photo was taken by my ex



I could go on and on. I have like 15 Marlins hats, 6 or 7 uniforms, and attend 25 to 30 games a year (I watch the rest on TV). Which means I cry a lot during baseball season each year as the Marlins pretty much always suck.

But hey, I'm a Marlins fan through and through no matter what happens.

 

Update time:

 

My friends don't really understand the appeal of ancient coins or artifacts, maybe in 30 or 40 years they'll figure out it's actually one heckuva hobby!

 

You are making me feel so nostalgic. Thinking back now on my high school years.

Mid-October of 2001 back in high school. I can't believe that photo is now just shy of two decades.



And the last one was after school the day I did a presentation in my English class probably in early 2003 (my senior year). The English teacher asked us to make a presentation on our plans after high school. I made mine on being a bum, so I came equipped with a cardboard bed and a cardboard sign. The other students thought it was a funny presentation, but the teacher told me "Sub-par work from a washed out wannabe class clown" and gave me a C-.



The Cuban sandwich bit was a take on my heritage, as I am Cuban.

 

Here I am.

Better late then never!!!
One of my telescopes is over my right shoulder.
Zhumell Z10 Dobsonian.

 

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Doug Smith at the VNA show a couple of weeks ago. It was at Andy Singer’s table and was great to ask his opinion on a couple of my purchases.

 

I'm glad we finally got to see you, though as an amateur astronomer myself, I would rather have better close-ups of your telescope. What's the most interesting thing you've seen with it?

Last night the south Florida weather finally cooperated a little after several months of horrible astronomy weather, and I was able to get some decent views of Mars and also my first good glimpse of the Orion nebula since early in the year.

 

Probably G1, the globular cluster in the Andromeda Galaxy, used 200x to see it.
I have two other scopes, an Explore Scientific AR152 (6") refractor and an 18" Obsession Dobsonian reflector...it seems like amateur astronomy goes along with coin collecting, for some reason @Sallent. I see you are a Marlins fan, I am an A's fan who unfortunately witnessed our poor effort against the Yankees in the WC game. Boo-hoo.