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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;kaparthy, post: 92213, member: 57463&quot;]1.&nbsp; This is an ad hoc, off-the-cuff post.&nbsp; I am not dressing this up, or revising it.&nbsp; If this were paper, it would a &quot;hot pen&quot;&nbsp; journal entry.</p><p><br /></p><p>2.&nbsp; This is going to be understood by some readers and misunderstood by others.</p><p><br /></p><p>3. I am happy to discuss anything here.</p><p><br /></p><p>4.&nbsp; You cannot hear my voice, or see my face, all you have is the expressionless words.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>5.&nbsp; I am doing this to prepare an ANA &quot;Numismatic Theater&quot; presentation for a couple of shows later on, Milwaukee, maybe.&nbsp; I want to organize my thoughts and get some feedback, if possible, before I go live.</p><p><br /></p><p>I quit collecting in 2000.&nbsp; There were several reasons.&nbsp; There had to be, because it is my nature that I seldom do anything for just one reason.&nbsp; I believe that good ideas (and bad) have links to other ideas and facts, so that if there is one reason to do something, there should be others, if the reason is to be considered valid.&nbsp; So, there were several reasons, and they all came together at once.</p><p><br /></p><p>A.&nbsp; I got tired of the multiple layers of reinforcing frauds.</p><p><br /></p><p>A.1. Collectors are lying, scheming, scamming con artists.</p><p>A.2. Collectors delude themselves.</p><p>A.3. Dealers count on those two facts to earn a hard living.</p><p>A.4. The numismatic press institutionalizes the fraud and delusion to perpetuate the hobby and thereby ensure its own survival.</p><p><br /></p><p>A.5.&nbsp; The percentage of fake material, counterfeits, and doctored material is astounding.</p><p><br /></p><p>B.&nbsp; I broke my own habituation (or addiction) to collecting.</p><p><br /></p><p>B.1.&nbsp; I found other uses for my money.</p><p><br /></p><p>B.2. I found other avenues for my interests.</p><p><br /></p><p>C.&nbsp; As you know, I still participate in numismatics.&nbsp; However, I have not collected in over five years.&nbsp; I still buy numismatic material, but only in support of actual research for specific projects.</p><p><br /></p><p>(more later)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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