Numismatic forum to be held in Philadelphia

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I got a good chuckle out of that.

 

Well, as one who has had the experience of being among "The Anointed", with a seat on a buntinged dais, the highest risk for the desires of "the collecting community" is that they themselves disagree on so much. Without a unified voice, ignoring collectors is not only easy, it's understandable. We have the traditionalists, the reformers, the volume lovers, the flippers, the flipper hatahs (me! me!), the political small-l libertarians, the people who love to push diversity imagery, the "why cain't we'uns all jus' go aback ta' real silver n' gold" crowd. Who they gonna listen to?

 

Hopefully, me.

 

They're going to listen to whomever resonates for them, and neither of us - nor anyone else - will ever make a horse drink when it isn't thirsty. So we continue just being the voices we are, offering a viewpoint among others, ensuring that the choice we offer is available on the menu for those who actually want to evolve as humans.

Part of my email to them covered a couple of issues which experience in numismatic fora has indicated have common ground amongst a large plurality of collectors, and I made sure they knew my impressions of the forum would be widely disseminated on the Internet. Therefore, I'm unlikely to be chosen to attend.

In fact, being accepted to attend, in view of how I addressed my application, would be a favorable indicator of their attitude in and of itself.

 

Lots of worthy discussion here. I will say there is one thing I would really like: modify the annual Silver Proof Set to include a bronze cent (95% copper) and a 'wartime' silver nickel. That would make it truly unique and interesting.

 

I actually love that idea for the cent; they did exactly that in 2009. The nickel will soon have its alloy changed anyway. The 75/25 Cu/Ni alloy that nickels have always been will soon go the way of the do-do bird. A new heretofore unseen stainless steel alloy will replace it one day soon. It strikes up just like cupronickel and not at all as flat as existing stainless alloy coins. I have seen and held in my hand some test strikes. Anyway, the inventor and supplier of the alloy has warned the Mint NOT TO USE IT for proof coins. It will eventually spot, especially in the fields. The wartime alloy will not be resurrected.

 

A generalization of what tell the mint is simply, "Put me in charge of what you make and I'll be happy with what you make."

 

Zackly! For each and every one of us. But put us in even a committee of two, and the whole deal collapses into vitriol. That's my point.

 

The problem with that suggestion is the Mint can't do it. That requires Congressional legislation so you are talking to the wrong people.

But just give us a little more time.

 

That doesn't surprise me at all! Whether they know it or not, most critics of the Mint's business are coming from a political viewpoint of one sort or another. Government employees set to roam wildly through the universe of ideas are MOST LIKELY going to be coming at the issue from an utterly different political view from most coin guys, as I hinted in post #10 above.

 

Well, I received my email confirmation of acceptance to attend today. It's not a "panel discussion in front of an audience" thing, every attendee is to be a participant and there will be topic-specific working groups formed from everyone attending. A 10 hour day is their plan.