I know that my question, on its face, seems like a silly question. However, the more I pondered it this morning, the more I believe that this could actually be something that can (or does) happen! In full disclosure, I have impaired vision. I developed cataracts due to medicine I had to take a few years ago. Luckily, my vision can be corrected with simple surgery (which I hope to have done this year). However, due to my blurred vision, I haven't touched my coin collection in nearly two years. I just can't see the coins. This morning, as I was receiving my change for breakfast, I was struggling to see what coins I got back, and the question occurred to me... "Do blind people collect coins?". I believe that the answer could be a strong YES... .Here are my theories why. 1. Figuring out the coin denomination. If you were to reach in your pocket right now, and your hands jingled the coins around, I have no doubt most of us could figure out what coins were in our pockets by the simple feel of the coin. The details ranging from diameter, thickness, weight, coin edges and such would be enough for us to figure out whether we had a dime in our hand, or a quarter. No doubt, people that are blind would have the same exact skill set, if not even more defined. 2. Figuring out the coin date. I began to wonder how someone without vision could do this. Then I remembered 'braille'. I am sure we've all seen it at some point in our lives, and even touched it. To me, just seems like a bunch of dots and lines. I can't make ANY sense out of it, yet someone who is blind can use this to read letters and words. Their sense of touch is often greater and more sensitive than someone that can see. Does it not seem to make sense that they could touch the coin, and feel the lines and such that make up a date? Seems to me that this would be not only possible, but likely plausible. 3. Figuring out coin condition. This also goes back to the sense of touch. A worn coin and a MS state coin have very different surfaces. It would be fairly easy to determine whether a coin is worn or not. Now I'm not implying that someone that is blind would be able to tell the difference between an MS63 versus MS67, but I think that overall, they would be able to tell in a general sense the difference between a circulated coin, versus a mint state coin. 4. Coin material base. When it comes to a simple example of what a coin is made of (such as Silver compared to Clad), it is well known that there are easy ways to determine the content. One of the ways you often hear Coin Roll hunters using is to 'drop' the coin and listen to the sound. I'm not saying this is a good method for collectable coins, but if you think about it, it would be fairly easy for someone that is blind to pick up on the slight sounds of a silver coin hitting the table. It is often said that a person that is blind has hearing that is MUCH more sensitive than someone with vision. In the end, with my arguments or suggestions above (which ever way you take them), I think that it is quite plausible that someone that is blind COULD collect coins. I'm not sure I've ever known anyone that is blind that collected, nor have I ever heard anyone in the news that did either. What do you think? Do you know someone, or have heard of someone that is blind that collects coins?
That is a good question. I would say yes too. They can still fell the coins and tell people about them
Yes. I'm also member of another coin forum, and over there we do have a blind member. He also has a blog here: http://blindcoincollector.com Christian
I know a legally blind collector of all sorts of things. C0ins, stamps, rocks, arrow heads, etc. He uses a USB camera and a large screen to view his collection that he amassed in his younger years. Heck of a guy too. A regular walking encyclopedia.
That really is amazing! It's funny, when this thought first occurred to me this morning, i really thought I was just crazy and being insensitive. However, the more and more I thought about it, it seemed so plausible that I began to think that there MUST be collectors that are blind! Seems my thoughts are true!
It depends if you mean legally blind or flat out completely blind. Legally blind can still see some details to a degree with the use of aides. Flat out blind can't see anything more than the difference between light and dark. I think the latter group would not be collecting, as the frustration included with trying to be a hobbyist would be extremely discouraging.
There are other things that get in the way of the hobby. For instance, I have been diagnosed with essential tremor. For me that means that when I hold a coin (left hand) my hand shakes and will not be still. This can interfere with checking the coin. I am still lucky that I do not take medicine and it is not interfering with much else, and only really acts up at some times. Though it does impede taking photos when you absolutely have to keep the camera still (hand held) also, so as I age I am sure it will be harder for me to keep up. Thinking ahead, I will probably have to adapt my appreciation for coin collecting away from CRH and looking through change to other aspects of this hobby. I also have vision issues, having a retina detachment and associated cataract (and so called 2nd cataract) which I have been treated for. So that eye is not perfect and I don't use lenses on it to make it so (it's off a little and correcting my other eye to perfect works to cover it's failings in most cases). Long story short, some things will definitely make it hard if not impossible to fully enjoy the aspect of coin collecting you prefer, but I think it's possible to divert your preference into another aspect to at least keep in the hobby somewhat for most people, even those impared significantly with things.
If I were to become completely blind I would stop collecting coins. The collection would go into long term storage. If I became visually impaired and could see with a visual aid I would probably keep on collecting.
Very good question and I think this helps to raise awareness of blind people. I do admire blind people in many ways in particular doing their best to integrate into society and being a coin collector is no exception. I do believe there are a few coins with braille on them. Italy I believe was the first to release 500 lira coin with braille. India, US, Croatia etc have also released such coins too.
Keep in mind though that on most of those coins, the braille text is merely decorative. The dots on the 500 lire piece for example (miniature braille) may well have been an awareness raiser. But they did not really "work". Christian
Gotta make a decision here ... The US Braille coins from 2009 had readable characters but were surcharged, and that quarter was issued at face but with "non-readable" dots. Christian
