What Should CoinTalk Get for Christmas?

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

hmm. I'd like to see CT get a grading panel. A group of knowledgeable graders who see submissions on a forum. You could create a new user rank for Grading Expert, and have the forum locked to replies but not new posts, and they could go in and submit grades on coins. I like this idea.

 

How about a big thanks to the creator of CoinTalk for making a nice forum that is a nice refuge from unmoderated lunacy such as RCC on usenet.

 

I'm actually quite content with what we have now. We have a forum where a question can be asked (even if it may seem simple or stupid) without condescention from the regulars. We stay polite for the most part, and even when things get heated, enough people (moderators or otherwise) will step in to calm them down.

 

Nicely said. There are things about this forum that kind of make it a refuge for sanity sometimes.

 

Yep, a nice place to ask a simple question or two w/o the risk of getting taken to the cleaners by the sharks. Two :thumb: :thumb: I like the rating system.

Take Care
Bone

 

I also agree that CoinTalk is quite nice as it stands. However, if I were to pick one of the items listed in your post, Peter, I think that I would choose a "Trader Rating System". I take it that this means some kind of evaluations and ratings for online or maybe even brick and mortar coin dealer, sellers, merchants.? I mention brick and mortar shops too because people are always coming on here and asking "Does anybody know any good coin dealers in XYZ?" This seems like it might be beneficial as it seems that one of the things people in the numismatic community are most concerned about is dishonest sellers. I'm not sure how this would work, but it would be nice for somebody to be able to say multiple things about a seller too. Everybody gets it wrong sometimes...so, somebody might initially give a seller a bad rating for screwing something up. However, it would be nice if that person could later go back to that seller's rating and tell how the issue was resolved also. Just some thoughts...

 

If I had to pick then it would be the rating system, and A BIG THANK YOU TO PETER :thumb:

De Orc :hail:

 

a wiki would be nice

 

I propose a consolidated database of poor traders/dealers operating on the various auction venues. Such a database exists within the cross-forum community of computer enthusiasts who buy, sell and trade computer parts, and during my tenure as a moderator at one such forum I found the database to be the most powerful weapon against those who would deceive and steal from their fellows.

In the numismatic world, especially at the auction venues, there are some very high-volume and powerful dealers who deliberately mislead their customers as to the quality of their offerings. I strongly feel that these are the greatest threat to our hobby - indeed, they are now large enough to permanently damage the reputation of numismatics as a whole. There is a big difference between two TPG's who would grade the same coin AU58 or MS62, and one who would crack a mint roll and sell the contents as MS69-70 under the deceptive guise of an in-house "TPG." These activities dilute the reputations of the true TPG's and honest dealers everywhere.

Fraud is happening on a scale which would certainly warrant the attention of law enforcement, especially when considering that such fraud being perpetrated in interstate commerce is a Federal offense, and that there are law enforcement agencies whose sole mission is to combat such activities.

Given my love for numismatics, and my experience as a watchdog over trading activity, this topic has been on my mind since I realized that there were straight-up criminals among us, operating under the guise of "reputable" dealers. Somewhere, somehow, someone must begin taking a stand against these frauds. I fully understand the implications of what I propose - this effort would require careful groundwork including legal research, and much cross-forum coordination and communication with TPG's and the larger, more reputable dealers. It would likely involve the formal participation of some of the larger names in the industry.

Frankly, I believe that numismatics is no longer under the complete control of honest collectors and businessmen such as you and I. It would be the greatest possible service to our hobby if we were to retake that control. Imagine the alternative.

 

I think Super Dave's idea is a great one. I really like the idea of a database to track those who would deceive us.

 

I'm not sure that numismatics was ever "under the complete control of honest collectors and businessmen." Remember Sheldon was a thief, Ford a counterfeiter and Breen a pervert and they were some of the biggest names of the previous generation...


That said, I agree that a database of bad traders/dealers would be very useful.

 

I never heard that....

I heard that he died in jail for sending coins overseas without the right paperwork...

Speedy

 

An easily accessible current price trends list.

 

According to Wikipedia, "Walter Breen spent considerable time compiling information on the history of homosexuality, particularly pederasty. ... His research, unprecedented in its extensive treatment of the history of homosexuality, formed the basis for his 1964 book Greek Love, which he published under the pseudonym 'J.Z. Eglinton.' ... Breen's pederasty was an open secret in both science fiction and numismatic circles; in the sixties he was banned for life from attending World Con sci-fi festivals due to his behavior with children, a controversy which became known as the 'Breendoggle' and resonates in that community to this day" KLJ's note - Does anyone know if a numismatic organization ever banned him from meetings for similar reasons? Wikipedia continues, "Breen was first arrested in the 1950s for 'lewd behavior,' exposing himself to young boys under a boardwalk in Atlantic City; in 1991 he was charged with eight felony counts of child molestation involving a thirteen-year-old boy, the son of science-fiction writer Stephen Goldin (who has since gone public)."

It does say that he died in jail of liver cancer in 1993.

I was aware of most of that. What I didn't know was that in 1980, Breen and his ex-wife were ordained in the Holy Apostolic-Catholic Church of the East (Chaldean-Syrian) priesthood by Metropolitan-Archbishop Mikhail Itkin, a well-known gay clergyman.

 

IIRC, he worked a scam to counterfeit and then attribute rare gold bars.

hmmm, I'll see if I can find where I read that, give me a couple of days. I know I read it earlier this year shortly after his death.

 

here you go Speedy, read this.

 

That is an eye-opener...I saved it for more reading..
Thanks

Speedy

 

That was my thought too, I realized how naive I was about honesty in coin collecting after reading it, both now and in the "good-ole-days".

 

How about a nice shiney new layout? Not that there's anything wrong with this... I just like shiney...