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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;physics-fan3.14, post: 693175, member: 19165&quot;]Just thought I&#039;d throw this out there and see what people think. I think coin collectors can be sort of generally classed into five categories: Novice, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert. What do you think differentiates these different levels?</p><p><br /></p><p>To me, a novice is someone who might be interested in collecting, but doesn&#039;t really know anything about our hobby. They might have gotten a few state quarters in change, and their curiosity is piqued. They don&#039;t really know anything about coins, and they have a lot of questions. These are the sorts of people who think Bicentennial coins found in their change are &quot;rare,&quot; and think they have a valuable find when they pull a Wheat Penny from circulation. Novices don&#039;t really know much, but with the right mentor, with the right inspiration, and with the right focus, they can go far. </p><p><br /></p><p>A Beginner is someone who is a little farther into the hobby. They&#039;ve probably gotten the Red Book, and have a little understanding of how the hobby works. They know some basic terms, like Uncirculated and Proof; they are familiar enough to at least recognize a few of the more popular series, such as Morgans. They probably have tried their hand at buying a few coins, most likely on Ebay. They don&#039;t yet understand cleaning, or how to spot a cleaned coin. They probably can&#039;t spot most counterfeits either. The Beginner is probably (hopefully) going to purchase more modern coins, or lower value coins, until he or she gains confidence and knowledge. The Beginner is a fascinating place to be, at least from the perspective of more advanced collectors, because they have their whole numismatic journey ahead of them. They ask many questions, and their curiosity opens a whole new world to them. They probably try to get involved with a collecting community, such as this one, so that they can learn more. </p><p><br /></p><p>An Intermediate collector is when we can really start calling them numismatists. A numismatist is one who studies coins, money, or sometimes medals - the Intermediate has probably found a couple of series that really interest them and has begun to pursue them. As they learn, they find they can spot many cleaned coins, some AT coins, perhaps a few fakes. The Intermediate is still always learning, always asking questions, but their questions are a bit more advanced now. They have a grasp of numismatic history, and they are familiar enough to recognize almost all US coins, and give a decent grade estimate. The series they have chosen to specialize in they pursue with a passion. They read about it, learn about it, and ask plenty of questions about it. At this point in their journey, the Intermediate numismatist still benefits greatly from having a helping mentor. The Intermediate numismatist is excited to find how much they really have learned, and will begin to share his or her newfound knowledge with others - either through posts on a discussion board, or presentations at their local coin club or elsewhere. </p><p><br /></p><p>An Advanced collector has progressed in his numismatic knowledge to the point where he is actively mentoring or teaching others. The advanced numismatist will write articles, in-depth posts on a discussion board, or teach specialised lectures at his coin club. The advanced numismatist is still always learning, but often the advanced numismatist will be researching new material. The advanced numismatist has often progressed to the point where he knows a great deal about his chosen specialties, to the point where he is conducting new research. He shares these with the rest of the numismatic community by writing books, or articles, or running websites devoted to his specialty. The advanced numismatist is not limited to his or her chosen specialties either - they can grade almost all coins fairly accurately, can generally spot most AT and fake coins, and have great numismatic knowledge. The Advanced numismatist is well known in the circles he travels in, and is respected for his knowledge and his efforts to share with others. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Expert numismatist is recognized as one of the top people in his or her field. They have published authoritative studies in their specialty, and they are recognized even outside of their circles. When people have a question about their series, they can provide the answers. They can grade a wide range of coins accurately, and have immense numismatic knowledge on a broad range of topics. These are the people that the rest of the numismatic world look up to. They take an active interest in promoting and protecting the hobby, and will take the time to help others. </p><p><br /></p><p>So what do you think? Anything else you would add? Anything you don&#039;t agree with? Where do you fit on this scale? If you are modest, where do others think you fit on this scale? <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> </p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m curious as to the distribution on this board, at least how you think you rank. Please be honest and don&#039;t inflate where you think you are![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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